


Mark of the Moon

by Sportscandycollective



Series: The Moon's Children [1]
Category: LazyTown
Genre: Angst, Body Horror, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Gen, Guilt, Monsters, Nightmares, Transformation, Werewolves, children in peril, hurt/comfort only at end, plans backfire, slight Sportarobbie at the end
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-02-03
Updated: 2017-05-13
Packaged: 2018-09-21 20:48:25
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 9
Words: 34,788
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9565796
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sportscandycollective/pseuds/Sportscandycollective
Summary: When one of Robbie's inventions backfire, the town is in danger from a monstrous threat.NOTICE: PLEASE DO NOT REPOST MY WORK ONTO OTHER WEBSITES.





	1. Chapter 1

This week hadn’t been particularly good for Robbie’s usual scheming.

Admittedly, the week had been much more productive than normal. Robbie had come up with a new plot to get rid of Sportacus each day, ranging from simple pitfalls and nets, to more complicated schemes involving large machinery and even a little magic. But to no avail. The flipping elf was still in town, guiding the kids towards healthier eating, excessive exercise and, much to Robbie’s chagrin, making more noise.

There had to be _something_ he hadn’t tried yet. Robbie strutted over towards his pile of inventions, pawing through the large collection of machinery and automations. One invention’s edge sliced at Robbie’s thumb, leaving a small but painful cut. He sucked on the wound as he continued to dig through. After a few minutes, Robbie threw his arms down to his sides in frustration.  
“That does it! I’ve tried almost everything!” he said exasperatedly.   
He heaved the large sugar apple machine onto his knee.  
“I’ve tried poisoning him,”  
He dropped the machine, picking up a soccer ball left astray on the floor.  
“I’ve tried knocking him out of the sky,”  
He chucked the soccer ball behind him. The ball bounced off the back wall, careening forward and knocking Robbie in the back of the head. He flinched, growling as he felt the sore spot left behind on the back of his noggin. He then gestured to the gigantic cannon he had sitting in the corner, a thin layer of dust collected on its barrel.  
“I’ve even tried shooting him over the county line! Nothing! None of it worked!” Robbie said, growing increasingly more self-pitying.  
He crossed his arms, pouting. “Can’t I get a break just once in life?”

Apparently, life responded with a resounding “no”, as his speakers dropped from the ceiling, projecting the shrill shrieks and giggles of the children. Robbie groaned, plugging his ears in frustration.   
“What could those little brats be so loud about?” he asked annoyedly. He strutted over towards his periscope, giving it a generous push upwards to lift the scope up above the surface.  
The bright blue eyes of the periscope emerged through a leafy bush, its eyes scanning around the sports park. Robbie twitched his nose as he looked about, finally finding the children gathered around a large tree alongside Sportaflop. Twisting the handle of the periscope, Robbie zoomed in on the congregated group of kids, listening in on their conversation.

“He’s so cute!” Stephanie gushed, cradling the little black-and-white kitten in her arms.  
The kids gasped in excitement as the kitten mewled and squeaked, toddling around in Stephanie’s lap. It nuzzled her elbow in a needy fashion, giving it a tiny little lick. Stephanie had to fight to contain her abundant joy.  
Sportacus smiled and crouched next to Stephanie. “Alright Stephanie, I think it’s Ziggy’s turn next!”  
Stephanie’s smile faded slightly. She was having so much fun holding the kitten, she wanted to hold it longer. But she relented, carefully handing the kitten to the hyperactive little boy.  
“Great job Stephanie! That’s exactly how you hold a kitten.” Sportacus said.  
Ziggy gasped as he held the squirming ball of fluff in his arms. He began to pet the kitten, pressing on its head a little too harshly. Sportacus chuckled and walked over to Ziggy, crouching next to him and lifting his arm gently.  
“Perhaps not so rough, Ziggy. With kittens, you must be careful! They are tiny and not strong yet.” Sportacus said, demonstrating how to properly pet a kitten. The kitten purred in response.  
Ziggy grew excited, and he copied Sportacus’s technique, eliciting the same response from the kitten. “Wow, Sportacus! You’re really good with pets!”  
Sportacus grinned. “Thank you!”  
“Sportacus, what’s your favorite animal?” asked Trixie.  
Sportacus responded, “I like all animals!”  
“But which do you like better, dogs or cats?” Stingy asked.  
Sportacus thought for a moment, before he smiled and nodded. “I like both, but I’d have to say I like dogs a little more. You can take them outside and play with them in the field! Plus, they’re easier to teach tricks.”  
Ziggy looked at the kitten thoughtfully, watching it curl up in his lap and fall asleep. “I wish I had a pet. A kitten would be cool, but I’d really love a puppy!”  
Sportacus smiled encouragingly at Ziggy. “Maybe when you get a little older, Ziggy! Dogs take a lot of responsibility to take care of.”  
Ziggy beamed. “Yeah! I’ll ask my parents! Maybe in a few years I can get a really cool puppy! One that does tricks and everything!”

An idea popped into Robbie’s mind. An idea that made a wicked smile appear on his face.  
“Well, why does Zippy have to wait that long? He could have a puppy that does tricks right now, and could help me get rid of the blue elf once and for all!” he said gleefully.  
Robbie leapt over the railing, landing harshly on the ground in a jumbled heap.  
“I meant to do that.” He muttered to himself.   
He strutted over to a large pile of random metal scraps and pieces. Pulling out his trusty hammer, he went to work on his newest invention, putting together miscellaneous pieces in a messy and near chaotic fashion. In a few short minutes, Robbie proudly lifted his completed invention. Fashioned in handsome, jet black steel, Robbie inspected his finished ray gun. He fiddled with a small dial on the side, nodding his approval. He admired the claw like end on the barrel, which converged onto a bright, red bulb. It was absolutely perfect.  
“Behold! My brand new Dogification Ray 6000!” he said proudly. He gave a wicked look towards his periscope. “One zap from this baby, and Sportacus will be chasing his own tail in no time!” He gave a wicked laugh, kissing the gun before he hoisted it onto his back, toting it on his way up to the surface.

\--

It was pretty much perfect. Robbie had crept into the town unnoticed by any of its idiotic residents, not even needing a disguise this time, and found Sportacus exactly how he wanted him. He was off on his own in the park, practicing his jumping jacks and push-ups. Robbie dove into a nearby bush.  
“Perfect! Sportaloon is so distracted by his, _ugh_ , exercise,” said Robbie, before doing a rushed imitating of Sportacus’s signature move. “that he won’t even realize that his world’s about to go to the dogs!” He chuckled to himself, setting the dial on the side of the gun to “terrier”. He figured that if he was turning Sportacus into a dog, he might as well add insult to injury by turning him into a puny, not athletically prone mutt. Firing up the gun, Robbie aimed his sight straight at the oblivious Sportacus, still focused on his much loved jumping jacks.  
His finger laid upon the trigger, Robbie grinned wickedly.  
“Bye bye, Sportakook.” He said tauntingly.  
He pulled the trigger.  
And nothing happened.  
Robbie’s optimism fell with his smile. He glared at the gun, giving it a frustrated hit. He aimed and fired again. Nothing.  
“Of all times to fail! You stupid…”  
He whacked the gun again.  
“…piece of…”  
Another smack to the gun sent the dial flying off and rolling to the side, which Robbie managed to not notice.  
“…junk!”  
His last exclamation was much louder than the last two, resulting in Sportacus stopping and turning towards the source of the noise. He looked over just in time to be struck in the chest by a bright beam of purple light. He let out a cry as he was flung backwards and onto his back.  
Robbie stopped, nearly dropping the gun. Realizing it had finally fired, he poked up through the mass of branches and leaves, eagerly looking at the downed Sportacus. His enthusiasm began to waver, and eventually drop back to nothingness, as the seconds passed. The effects of the ray should’ve been instantaneous. Why wasn’t Sportacus reduced to a yapping, tiny mutt right now?  
Instead, Sportacus merely shook his head, clearing his mind of the shock induced by the sudden laser bolt. He leapt back onto his feet, stumbling slightly from a slight disoriented feeling, and crept towards the bush to investigate.  
“Is someone there?” asked Sportacus.

Robbie shrunk back.  
“Think it’s time to take my leave.” He mumbled to himself. With that, Robbie sneakily crawled out of the bush and around the corner of the wall. He sighed, scratching his head as he examined the gun. “Why didn’t you work, I made you perfectly!” he said exasperatedly. He pouted, turning his head downwards as he walked back towards the outskirts of town.  
He was so caught up in his pondering and moping that he failed to notice the convenient hole in the sidewalk.  
Robbie plummeted down the pit, screaming as he tumbled down and finally stopped at the bottom, his clothes caked in dirt and pieces of rock. He groaned and rubbed his head. He would really need the aspirin tonight. He looked up, seeing the tiny circle of light from the surface. It was far too high up to climb. Who would dig a hole so deliberately deep in the middle of town??

…Oh right.

Before Robbie even got a moment to think, he was spooked by a life ring being dropped down the hole, nearly clocking him upside the head.  
“Robbie! Grab on!” the familiar and annoying voice called.  
Robbie, realizing he had no other options, begrudgingly shimmied the life ring around his waist, dangling as he was hoisted back to the surface, his ray gun hanging lamely in his grasp.

He squinted as he finally was pulled above ground, meeting the eyes of Sportadork and his little pink friend, all looking at him worriedly.  
“Are you okay, Robbie?” asked Sportacus.  
Robbie huffed, pulling himself free of the life preserver, dusting the dirt off his clothes.  
“I’m perfectly fine, though I would’ve been _more_ fine if you’d fallen in this hole like you were supposed to!” he said in an annoyed tone.  
Sportacus chuckled and shook his head, crossing his arms in front of him. He was scratching his arm rather fiercely. Robbie noticed, but decided he didn’t care enough to bring it up.  
Sportacus pointed to the gun in Robbie’s hand. “What’s that?”  
Robbie protectively pulled the gun closer to his chest, turning it around so the barrel pointed at the ground. “None of your business, Sportanerd! Now leave me alone!”  
Sportacus held his hands up defensively. “Alright Robbie, I was just curious.”  
Robbie rolled his eyes. “Well you know what they say, curiosity killed the dog.”  
The townsfolk looked at him confusedly.  
“You know what I mean!” Robbie said angrily.  
Hearing the townsfolk chuckle at him, Robbie turned and stormed off, his ray gun dragging across the ground behind him.

Stephanie’s attention soon deviated from Robbie to Sportacus, also noticing how much Sportacus was itching his arm.  
“Sportacus? Is your arm okay?” she asked.  
Sportacus blinked, turning to Stephanie. “Huh? Yeah, I’m okay. I must just be itchy today.”  
“I’ve got some lotion in my room! Maybe that would help! It smells like peaches!” said Stephanie cheerily.  
Sportacus gave Stephanie thumbs up. “Sounds great! Let’s go!”  
The two made their way back to the Mayor’s home.

Robbie, meanwhile, walked back to his lair. As he climbed down the ladder, he tossed the ray gun to the side. Yet another failed invention to add to his collection. Robbie pondered for a second, wondering why the gun hadn’t worked. It had fired, so why wasn’t Sportacus reduced to a barking puppy? Robbie knew he could take the time to go take apart his Doginator, actually investigate each part to determine what failed.   
But today was awful enough. He needed a break. Robbie plopped himself down in his orange armchair, grabbing the remote and turning on the television that dropped from the ceiling. As the noise from the TV set filled the room, Robbie began to drift off to sleep, with one last thought filling his brain.  
   
“ _Maybe tomorrow will be kinder to me. Maybe I’ll finally have a good day._ ”

\--

The world mustn’t particularly like Robbie Rotten, as his sleep was interrupted by his speakers dropping from the ceiling, piping the loud sounds of worried gasping and chattering from the townsfolk.  
Robbie groaned, gripping the pillow and pressing it harshly against his ears. He curled into a ball, willing away the invasive sounds of the town being piped into his lair. Why exactly had he installed that speaker again?  
Finally, unable to ignore the noise any longer, Robbie got up onto his feet, shivering at the chilliness of his home compared to the warmth of his blankets. He paused, listening to the conversations the speaker was amplifying.  
“This is unbelievable!”   
“What could’ve done this?”  
“Man, there’s almost nothing left!”  
Robbie’s nose twitched. “What in the world could those LazyTowners be talking about?” he pondered.  
He stomped over to his periscope with a groan. He wanted so badly to just ignore the chatter above him, allow them to stew in their fears and worries and enjoy each second of their nervousness. But he was curious, and just had to know what had gotten the town so rattled. Pulling down the scope, Robbie peered out into the park, quickly finding the collective of residents, all staring at…something.  
Robbie couldn’t really see that well, so he ducked the scope underground and popped up a bit closer, right behind Bessie and the bald-headed mayor. Admittedly, even Robbie wasn’t ready for what he saw.

The townsfolk had gathered around a tree, the same tree the kids had been at yesterday. Only now, it wasn’t so much upright and mighty like the kids remembered it. The tree had been struck down, the larger half lying broken in the middle of the road, its branches having knocked out a street sign and nearly taken out the traffic light. What remained rooted in the ground was a mess of splinters and broken edges, almost like the tree had been torn from its trunk. Thin, white claw marks were visible on the ground surrounding the base of the tree, and deeper, larger claw markings were left in the tree’s trunk.   
Robbie shivered. The destruction was massive, but what could’ve caused such damage? He didn’t exactly remember bears living around LazyTown. He looked back into his scope, listening close as Stephanie approached the fallen tree.  
“Uncle, there are claw marks in the tree trunk…” she said quietly, trying to hide the fear building in her throat.  
The kids gasped at the sight and began to fearfully murmur amongst themselves.  
Mayor Meanswell stepped out in front of the nervous crowd, hoping to quell their fears despite his own anxious disposition. “N-Now everyone, I’m certain that we have nothing to worry about! I’m sure there’s a perfect explanation for what happened to the tree, as well as the rest of the sports park.”

“ _The rest of the sports park?_ ” Robbie wondered. He popped the periscope down, elevating the scope at various points in the park. Sure enough, the tell-tale signs of some sort of beast were littered everywhere. Bushes and smaller trees were torn apart. Large pawprints were left in the dirt and grass field. Even in the masonry, large claw marks were visible. Robbie felt his heart stop as he saw a bench smashed nearly in half. “ _How in the world is that dopey mayor going to explain his way out of this one?_ ” He dropped the periscope down, raising it back near the townsfolk.  
“But mayor, if it was a tornado, then why are there claw marks everywhere?” asked Stingy, a tone of suspicion in his voice.  
Obviously, the mayor wasn’t doing such a great job.  
“Stingy, please, let me explain…” the mayor stammered.  
“Mayor Meanswell, it has to be a monster! I-I know because…I saw something last night!” Ziggy stated.  
The townsfolk turned towards the sugar-hyped little boy. Stephanie approached Ziggy.  
“Ziggy, what did you see?” she asked.  
Ziggy paused, collecting his thoughts. “I-I mean, it was dark but…I could’ve sworn I saw a large monster. L-Like a wolf! It was huge, and its eyes were glowing! It was really scary.”  
“Ziggy, are you absolutely positive that you saw a wolf?” asked Trixie.  
He stopped, looking sheepishly at the ground. “Well, I think so…again it was really dark.”  
Pixel sighed. “We need to know for certain Ziggy!” He bit his lip as he looked back at the tree. “Then again, it’s not like there are many other possibilities.”  
The kids looked back at the mayor, who was sweating profusely as he surveyed the state of the park.  
“Uncle? What are we going to do?” Stephanie asked.  
The mayor looked back at the children, a sad look in his eyes. He shook his head. “I…honestly don’t know, children. B-But, maybe Sportacus has an idea! Stephanie, did you send him your letter?”  
Stephanie sighed. “I did, but that was almost half an hour ago and he isn’t here yet! I wonder where he could be?”

Right on cue, Sportacus dropped down with a flip and a spin. Robbie jumped and shrieked as the blue suited hero suddenly appeared within his view. He gagged at just how much energy the elf was exerting at such an early hour.  
Sportacus stopped right in front of the kids. “Hi everyone, I got your message!” Sportacus said, holding up the piece of pink paper. His voice sounded more weary than usual.  
Stephanie immediately noticed the tired tone in his sentence. She frowned. “Sportacus, are you feeling okay?” She spotted the dark circles underneath his eyes, as well as his more distant gaze.  
Sportacus took a moment before finally responding. “Yeah! I’m okay, just didn’t get great sleep last night I guess.” He looked behind Stephanie, his smile fading as he saw the shattered remains of the tree. “What happened here?”  
The mayor stepped in front of the children. “Sportacus! W-We believe that something dangerous might be prowling around LazyTown! Do you have _any_ idea on what might have damaged our beautiful park?”  
Sportacus stepped forward, examining the remains of the tree. He immediately noticed the huge claw marks. He felt at the markings, counting the number of scars. Five. But don’t most animals leave only four or three? He screwed his lip in confusion.  
Ziggy stepped forward. “We think there might be a wolf in LazyTown! And if it is a wolf, it’s a really big and mean one!” he said nervously.  
Sportacus nodded, slowly standing back upright. “That is a possibility. But something feels off about all of this.” An idea crossed his mind, a potential culprit. But he quickly shook it off. He didn’t want to terrify the town any more than they already are. Not until he verifies that his suspicion is correct or not. He gave the townsfolk a smile. “For now, though, until we know what destroyed the park, we should all be more careful. I recommend not going out at night until we catch the creature that did this.”  
The townsfolk nodded in agreement.  
Sportacus did his signature move. “I’ll go keep looking and see if I find any more clues.” He sprinted off towards the rest of the park.

As the kids headed back to their homes, Ziggy was the first to break the silence.  
“I’m really scared, guys. What if it _is_ a monster? I wouldn’t want to be outside if there really _is_ a wolf in LazyTown.”  
Stephanie gave Ziggy a reassuring pat on the back. “I’m sure we have nothing to worry about.”  
Trixie laughed. “Yeah, and if there is a giant wolf, Sportacus can handle it! That wolf should be the scared one!”  
The kids laughed off their fears and ran back to their houses.

Robbie’s focus was fixated on what Ziggy had said. If there really is a wolf in LazyTown, he’d not want to go outside? Not being outside means being lazy inside. And if _all_ the kids were terrified of a wolf living near their homes…  
Robbie grinned. Maybe things were turning out good for him after all.   
“All I have to do is lure that wolf back into town, get him to stay long enough to be spotted by the kids. Then, they will never want to play outside and be noisy ever again!” he said happily. He smirked. “And I know just what’ll do the trick.”


	2. Chapter 2

Admittedly, this wasn’t the most pleasant plan that Robbie had thought up. He couldn’t even bring himself to look at the bucket full of ground beef that he toted along across town. The smell was enough to make his stomach churn and start his gag reflex running. He took a deep breath of clean air and held it in his lungs as he took a large fistful of the raw meat, tossing it into the grassy sports field. He exhaled as he tossed another handful onto the retaining wall, spreading it across the top. He chuckled to himself, admiring how wicked and clever he could be. He strutted over a little closer to the Mayor’s picket fence, spreading some of the beef along the posts.   
“No wolf can resist the smell of fresh meat! This will get that oversized dog running back here in a heartbeat.” He said with a snicker.   
He strode across the street, leaving small bits of raw burger along his trail. He skipped down the sidewalk, throwing more clumps of meat in random directions. As he walked, he nearly ran into a frantic Ms. Busybody, who was rushing home before the sun completely set.  
“Oh goodness! Sorry, Mr. Rotten! You should really get inside soon, before it gets dark! That wolf might come back you know!” she said with a wavering sense of steadiness, not noticing the large metal pail Robbie carried in his hand. She then turned and walked away.  
“That’s what I’m hoping.” He mumbled to himself in an annoyed tone. Frowning, he snuck behind Ms. Busybody, waiting at her fence for her to enter the house. As soon as he saw the door shut behind her, he chucked a particularly large mound of meat right at her window sill. Unnecessary, but Robbie viewed it as hedging his bets. If none of the children saw the wolf, then at least Ms. Busybody seeing a large, drooling hound right at her window would be enough. She was a gabby person, and news of her “nearly being mauled by a wolf” would spread like wildfire.

Robbie stood back at the entrance of the park, admiring his handiwork. Clumps of meat were spread everywhere, leaving the faint, pungent smell of raw meat in the air. Robbie scrunched his nose. If this didn’t get that mangy mutt’s attention, then nothing would.  
He was about to skulk back to his lair when he found himself blocked by the disapproving glare of the pink girl. He nearly screamed, before clearing his throat and retaining his composure.  
“What are you doing out here, little girl? Isn’t it past your bedtime?” Robbie asked in a demeaning tone.  
Stephanie was not amused. “I think _I’m_ the one who should be asking you that.” She pointed at the bucket of meat in Robbie’s hand. “What’re you doing with all that meat?”  
Robbie faked a quizzical expression. “Meat?” He looked down, feigning surprise. “Oh, this meat!” He gave her a toothy grin. “Well, this is for the wolf.”  
“I knew you had to do something with this!” Stephanie said angrily, stomping her foot down. She gestured to the piles of meat across the park. “Is this another part of your laziness plans? Let me guess, the wolf is another robot?”  
“You didn’t let me finish.” Robbie said sternly. He pointed to the bucket. “Yes, this bucket is full of hamburger. But that’s not all. I’ve crushed up some sleeping pills and mixed it with the meat. Once that beast gets a bite of this, he’ll fall into a nice, deep sleep. Then, you and your bratty friends can do with it as you please.”  
  
Stephanie quirked an eyebrow up. “And why would you do something like that? Seems like this wolf is convincing people to spend less time outside.”  
Robbie paused a moment, before thinking of an explanation. “Because while that may be true, do you really think I’d want to cause this much damage and put so many peoples’ lives in danger?”  
Stephanie kept her suspicious expression.  
“Look, I take a lot of glee at seeing your precious sports park in pieces.” He said, a smile creeping onto his face as he thought of the park, reduced to nothing but a hole in the ground. His smile vanished as he cleared the thought from his head. “And while I am a villain, I find death rather tasteless. So, if that is the case, why would I send an uncontrollable and obviously dangerous beast into a quiet, defenseless town? Sounds like overkill to me, don’t you think?”   
Stephanie furrowed her brow, before finally sighing in agreement. “I guess so.”  
Robbie then patted her head, getting a little bit of beef into her pink hair. Stephanie stuck out her tongue in disgust, carefully fishing out the pieces of hamburger from her hair.   
“Then you can see that I’m just trying to do this town a favor! I’ll help you get rid of this beast, that way things can go back to their…noisy peace. I want this town quiet, not empty.” Said Robbie, before he turned back to spreading the raw beef along the ground.  
Stephanie shook her head. “Okay, good luck with your plan.” She said, turning and walking back to her house.

Robbie nodded after looking at his work. Feeling accomplished, he turned on his heel and strode back to his lair, not noticing the trail of burger that followed him out of town and to his pipe entrance.  
Sliding down the ladder, Robbie sighed in contentment. He waltzed over to the bathroom, relieved to finally wash the smelly residue off his hands, replacing it with the scent of his brand-new cupcake scented hand soap. He glided back into his main living space, over to his large, steel refrigerator. He had a slight skip in his step as he carried over a gargantuan piece of sugary cake with him back to the fluffy, orange recliner. Settling himself down for the night, Robbie devoured the cake slice, before passing out in his chair. It had been a long day, and he needed the peace and quiet.

\--

The sounds of nails scratching against cement and steel woke Robbie from his fitful bout of sleep.  
Robbie stretched and yawned, rubbing his tired eyes as he fell back into consciousness. He laid in his chair a moment, taking the time to move the frosting covered plate over to his end table. His lair was silent, with only the occasional burst of steam interrupting the noiseless space. Robbie shrugged, settling back into a decently comfortable position in his recliner. He drifted back into a sleepy state, gently snoring as he felt his mind grow heavy.  
He was quickly jolted awake again by the scratching sounds returning.  
Robbie groaned, pressing his pillow against his ears. The scratching noise broke through his fluffy pillow guard. Frustratedly, Robbie threw his pillow down, giving a death glare to the direction the noise came from. The noises continued. He sighed exasperatedly, getting up stiffly from his chair, slowly lumbering towards his metal ladder. Robbie yawned, slowly climbing up, still stuck in a half dream-state.  
The noises grew louder as Robbie climbed higher and closer to the surface. A small seed of fear built within Robbie’s heart, but he tried his best to ignore it. Nevertheless, he yanked the emergency wrench he kept on the side of the pipe entrance off and held it near his person. He paused a second right at the hatch door, waiting for the scratching sounds to ebb away again. Robbie then threw open the top of the pipe, giving an angry glare at a random direction.  
“I don’t know if you know this, but it’s pretty rude to go making so much noise at this time of night! Who do you think you are?? Some kind of…”  
Robbie’s rant was interrupted as a burst of warm, sticky air hit the back of his neck. He shivered as he heard a low growl, and he slowly turned towards the source of the noise. Crouched right at his eye level, glaring at him with its glowing, yellow eyes, was the largest wolf Robbie had ever seen. Its fur was black as pitch, and its teeth were a silvery white, only stained by the pale pink of raw hamburger. It glowered at Robbie, snarling its pearly white fangs right at the man, its breath condensing into thin trails of steam in the cool night air.   
“…beast.” Robbie said near silently.

The wolf continued to growl, its ears pinned back against its head. Its claws absently raked against the concrete foundation, leaving small grooves and scars along its stony skin. Robbie swallowed a thick gulp, taking the time he had to examine the wolf. His attention was caught by two large gashes on its left forearm, blood dripping down and staining its jet-black fur. Robbie wondered for a moment where the wolf had gotten such an injury.  
Robbie felt himself grow faint from the absolute terror he felt. Being only inches away from a dangerous and, presumably, hungry animal wasn’t something he’d planned for his night. But now that he’s stuck in the situation, he’d have to weasel his way to safety like usual.  
“H-Hey there, big guy. You have some lovely teeth there.” Robbie cooed, hoping to somehow soothe the large animal.  
The wolf only responded with a bark and another low, rumbling growl. It took a step back, winding up its energy.  
Robbie reached for the wrench at his side, extending his other hand in front of him. “W-Woah now, let’s not be hasty.”  
The wolf lunged forward with a roar, its clawed hands forward and reaching for Robbie’s neck. In an instantaneous reaction, Robbie shut his eyes and blindly swung at the beast, the wrench making contact upside the beast’s head. The wolf yelped and was sent sprawling to the ground, growling furiously as it brought itself back onto its feet. Robbie wasted no time with ducking back down into the pipe, pulling the hatch down with him.

In the darkness, Robbie fumbled about his pockets, looking desperately for a padlock he sometimes used to keep his pipe shut during stormy weather, or if he really wanted to avoid loiterers and mailmen. He cursed under his breath as he dug through his pockets, a glimmer of hope crossing his thoughts as he finally found the small, steel lock. He screamed and nearly lost his grip on the top of the hatch as he felt it yanked upwards. For a split second, Robbie’s own gray eyes met with the yellow, inhuman eyes of the wolf, before being flung down into the darkness once again. His body froze as he felt the lock slip from his fingertips, tumbling and clanging down to the floor of his lair.  
Robbie cursed loudly, his curse interrupted by another yank on the hatch door, his arm being slightly pulled out of alignment.  
Clenching his eyes shut, Robbie clasped onto the rung of the ladder, using all his body weight to keep the hatch closed. His heart froze as he heard the wolf release a peal of howls. He screamed as he felt something bashing against the thin, metal cover of the pipe entrance. His eyes widened and the blood drained from his face as he saw the sharp tips of claws break through the metal cover. He had to do something, or else he’d be the wolf’s next course.   
The cover was easily torn open like it was made of tin foil, Robbie’s eyes once again meeting with the wolf’s. It burrowed its head through the jagged hole, squinting its eyes as the sharp pieces scraped against its head. With nothing left to lose, Robbie swung his wrench once more, making contact with the beast’s snout. It yelped, leaning back. Robbie swore he could see the wolf clutch its nose in pain, before turning and crawling away, quickly breaking into a sprint.

Robbie finally exhaled a breath he was keeping inside. His mind was swimming in adrenaline, leaving him a trembling and shaking mess. It took the last of his energy to not let go of the ladder rungs and slowly climb down. His feet finally made contact with the metal floor of his lair, his legs threatening to buckle as his entire body reconnected with solid ground. Robbie silently walked back to his armchair, laying himself down in its fuzzy and warm embrace. He then curled into a ball and began to sob, his eyes frozen open with fear, his attention cemented on the surrounding ambient sounds, constantly ready for the wolf to barrel down and finish him off.

\--

The townsfolk awoke to a greater mess than the one from the day before. Trashcans were overturned and ripped to shreds, their pieces scattered across the fields and lawns through town. More trees were either scarred with claw and teeth marks, or completely decimated, with even their roots ripped up from the ground. Discarded feathers floated in the breeze, catching on broken tree branches and lampposts, with what their presence implied being too gruesome for the children to think about.   
The Mayor looked at his town in horror, taking in the destruction and property damage. He shakily wiped the sweat off his brow with a small handkerchief, his eyes scanning the sports park.   
“Oh dear, this is worse than I could’ve imagined.” He mumbled nervously. He gasped as a loose tree branch broke from its tree, crashing by his feet. Mayor Meanswell cleared his throat, trying to keep his composure together as he continued his surveying of the town.  
The kids had gathered in the center of the park, fearfully talking to each other, asking if anyone had seen the wolf again last night.   
“Did ANYONE see a wolf? That’s the only thing that could’ve done all of this!” Ziggy asked frantically.  
Stingy shook his head. “I know at that I didn’t see a wolf.”  
Pixel also shook his head. “I didn’t see anything either.”  
“None of us saw anything.” Sighed Trixie.  
Stephanie bit her lip. She looked around at the destroyed park.   
The kids turned around as the Mayor approached, his eyes weary looking and his gait much slower than usual. He tried to perk up after seeing the fearful and nervous expressions on the kids’ faces.   
“Well children, we definitely have a terrible problem on our hands. Did any of you see what might’ve caused all this damage last night?” he asked.  
Before the kids could answer, another voice cut through the crowd.

“I know EXACTLY what’s destroying our town!”  
The children and the mayor turned to face the origin of the voice. It was Ms. Busybody, still dressed in her robes, her usually pristine bouffant a mess of loose strands tangled with her curlers. Large bags had formed under her eyes, and overall, she lacked the usual polished energy that she exuded. She stopped in front of the group, frowning tiredly.  
“Oh! Ms. Busybody! Y-You’re looking quite, uh, radiant today.” Mayor Meanswell said nervously.  
Ms. Busybody glared at the mayor. “Don’t you start with that, Milford! I’ve had the worst night of my life, no thanks to that mongrel of a monster roaming our town!”  
The children gasped.  
“Bessie, did you see the wolf last night?” Stephanie asked.  
Ms. Busybody turned to Milford’s niece. “SAW it? That thing destroyed my house! I was sitting there, enjoying a nice cup of chamomile tea before bed, when this large, black furred beast crashed through my window! I barely escaped with my life as that thing ripped apart my dining room and kitchen! It ate all my fish! Then it came after me and, well, that was terrifying!”   
Ziggy looked at Ms. Busybody, eyes wide. “How did you escape??”  
Ms. Busybody smiled proudly. “I had managed to snatch a knife from my butcher’s block before it cornered me in the hallway. I taught it a little lesson by slashing two at its arm, that sent it running! It was exhilarating, in a life-threatening and horrifying sort of way.”  
“So it really is a wolf ripping apart the town. How’re we going to stop it?” Trixie asked.  
“I saw Robbie last night, he tried to put the wolf asleep with sleeping pill laced meat.” Stephanie said, with a frown. “I’m guessing it didn’t work that well.”  
“Robbie did that?” asked the Mayor. He thought for a moment. “Well, that gets rid of one possible origin for our little guest.”  
“Maybe Sportacus would know how to drive away the wolf?” Pixel suggested. He turned as he heard the sound of footsteps getting closer. “Oh! There he is now!”

The kids turned to face Sportacus. Confusion filled their eyes as they saw the bedraggled and disoriented Sportacus approach them. Stephanie looked worriedly at the elf, who looked much more tired and worn out than he had yesterday. She noticed a rather nasty bruise on the right side of his temple, which had already started to purple, as well as a bruise around his nose. The dark circles under Sportacus’s eyes had grown darker, and she noticed that Sportacus seemed to be fidgeting with his shirt sleeve.  
The other kids must’ve noticed just how tired and bruised Sportacus looked as well.  
“Sportacus, what happened?? Are you feeling okay?” Stingy asked.  
Sportacus gave a weary and weak smile. “Yeah, I’m okay. Just another bad night of sleep.”  
“Sportacus, no one gets bruises from bad sleep. What’s going on?” Stingy asked, pointing to the bruises on Sportacus’s face.  
Sportacus relented with a nod. “I…don’t know. I don’t remember where any of this came from.” He cringed, a frown forming on his face as he gingerly felt the bruise on his head. The pain resonated through his brain, like someone had taken an icepick and stabbed it into his head. His vision blurred as another wave of pain passed through him.   
“Oh dear, Sportacus! Sit down, you look awful.” Ms. Busybody said worriedly.   
Sportacus didn’t protest as he was led to one of the few intact benches left in the park.   
“Pixel, please go get me a cold ice pack! And some aspirin too.” Ms. Busybody asked.  
Pixel nodded and ran off towards his house, while the other kids crowded around Sportacus.  
“Gee Sportacus, I’ve never seen you look this bad!” Trixie remarked.  
Ms. Busybody shot the little girl a look. “Trixie, please.”   
Stephanie sat down next to Sportacus, giving him a gentle hug. She was surprised when Sportacus recoiled, uttering a hiss of pain as he did, before it was quickly replaced with an apologetic look. For a brief second, Stephanie spotted a large binding of gauze around his shoulder, stained with blood. This caused Stephanie to freeze in her place, her face going white as a sheet.  
“Oh dear! Stephanie, are you not feeling well too?” asked Ms. Busybody, silently thanking Pixel for getting her the supplies.  
“N-No, I’m okay. I just need to sit here a moment.” Stephanie replied in a near mumble. Questions and random thoughts bounced in her brain, with outlandish conclusions charging to the forefront. That arm wound, it bothered her. It bothered her because of what Ms. Busybody had mentioned earlier. Those two facts made her conclude something she didn’t want to believe, so she tried to usher those thoughts out of her brain.  
Ms. Busybody helped Sportacus gently hold the icepack to his head, shaking out two pills from the bottle of aspirin as well. Sportacus thanked her and swallowed the pills dry, sighing in relief as he felt the placebo effect take root.

“I guess then I’ll have to think of another plan, if you aren’t feeling well Sportacus.” Said the Mayor.  
Sportacus perked up, a little of his usual energy returning. “What was your plan, Mayor?”  
The mayor paused a second before responding, as if weighing the worthwhileness of telling Sportacus about his abandoned plan. “Well, with the wolf running around town and traps obviously not working, I was going to ask if you’d be able to patrol the town tonight, maybe catch the wolf in the act. But you’re hurt and tired, so that’d be a poor decision…”  
“I’ll do it, Mayor.” Responded Sportacus.  
The Mayor was taken aback. “B-But, your head!”  
“I’ll be fine.” Sportacus said reassuringly. He stood up, ignoring how the world spun and tilted in his vision. He stood in a superhero pose, smiling at the townsfolk. “Tonight, we end this wolf’s reign of terror, and finally get our town back to normal!”  
The children and adults cheered at this proclamation. All except Stephanie, who could only look upon Sportacus with a mixture of worry and suspicion, her mind still playing with the hypothesis it had formed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you guys are enjoying this story so far! We're getting closer to the more consistent tone of this fic, so hope you guys like the next chapters too!
> 
> Thank you for reading!


	3. Chapter 3

As the evening dragged on, Stephanie sat in her bed. Her uncle had issued a temporary curfew upon the whole town; no one was to be outside at sundown. Dressed in her pajamas, Stephanie fidgeted about. She wasn’t tired, and not just because of her much earlier bedtime. No, she was worried about Sportacus. There was something weird and suspicious going on with this wolf debacle, and Stephanie couldn’t help but mull over the jumped conclusions she’d made earlier. They all sounded so crazy, yet there were too many coincidences present to ignore them. At the least, she’d have to entertain them. For both the town, and Sportacus’s sake.

Making her mind up, Stephanie threw off her covers and hopped out of bed, walking towards her small bookcase. Searching for a moment, Stephanie pulled out a book on wild animals, flipping through the pages until she reached the entry on wolves. She sat back, legs crossed, taking in all the information she thought she’d need in case she ran into the wolf.

“ _If you come across a wolf in the wild, don’t attempt to flee as that’ll encourage it to pursue. The best thing to do is to make yourself as big and scary as possible. Throw stones, makes lots of noise. But whatever you do, do not appear scared. Else, you’ll guarantee its attack._ ”

Stephanie bit her lip thoughtfully. She looked about her room, eying a bag of marbles she had sitting on her dresser. Pulling out her backpack, she threw the marbles into the sack, along with her baseball bat and some rocks she’d collected on a hike. Zipping up her pack, she threw it onto her back. She snuck over to the window, carefully and quietly pushing it up, sneaking out into the yard once it was open wide enough. She then gently closed it behind her. She ran out of her lawn, running out into the streets, making her way to the tattered park. She ducked into a bush as she heard footsteps approaching.

She peeked out of her hiding spot as she saw that the footsteps belonged to Sportacus, who was jogging steadily down the sidewalk. He seemed tired, but attentive. Stephanie cringed as she saw that he’d rolled up his sleeve on his left arm, exposing his injured arm for all to see. The bandages weren’t as stained as she’d seen earlier, but were still pretty bloody. Sportacus paused, blinking as he looked about. Stephanie covered her mouth, trying to silence her breathing.  
"Hello? Is someone there?" Sportacus asked aloud, searching the surrounding areas.  
Stephanie stood as still as a statue.  
After a moment, Sportacus seemed to stop searching as he continued his patrol. Stephanie sighed in relief, watching Sportacus round the corner and disappear from sight. She hopped out of her hiding spot, sneakily tailing the hero.  
  
She stopped mid-step as she saw the hero freeze. Stephanie snuck back into another bush, watching carefully. She looked in confusion as she saw Sportacus look about, an anxious air surrounding him. He was breathing heavily, his eyes slowly turning up towards the sky. The clouds parted, revealing the moon gracing the dark blue night sky. As soon as the moon’s bright beams met Sportacus’s eyes, he started to shiver. His face paled, his body trembling uncontrollably. Stephanie covered her mouth once more, not wanting to draw the hero’s attention by accident.  
She fought hard to repress a gasp as Sportacus suddenly let out a pained cry, doubling over and nearly collapsing to the ground. His fingers began to dig wildly and desperately at the asphalt, sweat dripping from his forehead, as he panted rapidly. He was making desperate and strained noises, gasping in horror as he looked down upon his shaking arms. Thick, black hair was growing at an incredible rate all over his arms and hands. He continued to dig at the ground, his face screwed into a pained expression, his breathing becoming audible to even Stephanie. She watched in terror as, from behind the flush of leaves and branches, she could see the tips of Sportacus’s fingers be overtaken by long, sharp claws.  
Breathing heavily, Sportacus brought himself up into a sitting position, looking in fear at his rapidly transforming hands. As he looked, Stephanie saw a glimpse of his newly developed fangs, as well as the fur starting to grow up his neck. She shook where she hid, trapped by both a driving need to rush to the aid of her friend, and to run as fast as she could back to her home to try and get help. She couldn’t hold back a gasp as she saw Sportacus turn his face upwards, letting out a strangled sound like a mix of a man’s scream and an animal’s howl. His hat tumbled lamely to the ground, revealing that the sides of his pointed ears were growing fun and shifting up, much like a wolf's ear, his blonde locks being overtaken by a jet-black color.

Sportacus buried his head into his chest, muffling his distressed cries and screams as Stephanie watched his body morph and shift, bones altering position and skeletal structure moving. She could feel herself grow faint as she watched the contortion happening in front of her, a nausea building in her stomach. Sportacus’s shirt finally gave way, tearing apart as his body grew bigger and his body turned more animal-like, revealing his torso was covered in the same, black fur that covered his arms. His boots followed suit, ripping into small shreds upon the ground, revealing a pair of gigantic paws in their place. The only clothes that remained, mostly intact, were his pants, but even then, they were reduced to a shredded pair of shorts as his body grew larger. Finally, the cracking noises and body contortions seemed to stop. Stephanie nervously peeped through the bushes, watching Sportacus breath heavily and slowly lower his paws to the ground, raising his back so he stood with a more wolf-like stance. He lifted his head, and Stephanie had to force herself not to cry or gasp in horror. His face had morphed into that of a wolf, with a slender and long muzzle and jaw. His eyes had changed to a glowing, inhuman yellow color. Had it not been for the remnants of his clothes that still hung fast, Stephanie wouldn’t even have recognized the beast as her friend. Looking towards the moon, Sportacus howled wildly, before sniffing the air, turning his attention to the bush Stephanie hid in.

Involuntarily, Stephanie backed herself against the wall, tears building in her eyes as the wolf that was once Sportacus crept closer, sniffing the air and growling. The scant preparation Stephanie had done before rushing outside fled from her mind. All she could think of was how terrified she was. How scared she was for her friend. Sportacus’s discarded crystal bleeped and blared behind them, but he didn’t even give it a glance. No part of Sportacus’s usual heroics, his compassion, seemed to have been retained with his transformation. No, this was truly an animal. Stephanie let out a choked sob, cupping her hand over her mouth as she saw the Sportacus’s ears perk up, him creeping closer to her. Stephanie needed a plan now, lest she become his first meal of the night.

Reaching into her bag, Stephanie grabbed out her bat and stood up, Sportacus halting in surprise. Pointing the bat at him, Stephanie looked at her friend pleadingly.  
“Sportacus, it’s me! Stephanie! Please, you need to snap out of this!” she begged.  
Sportacus growled in confusion, before barking at her.  
Stephanie shivered, her trembling causing the bat to quiver and shake. “Please Sportacus, don’t you remember who you are?”  
His eyes still trained upon the bat, Sportacus bared his teeth, a low growl rumbling in his throat.  
Stephanie could feel her knees begin to buckle. Tears rolled down her face as she slowly lowered the weapon, hoping that by taking a less aggressive stance, her friend would be more cooperative. An opening now available, Sportacus roared and charged at Stephanie. Screaming, she lifted the bat and swung at his neck, sending him flying to the side. He yelped, quickly getting back onto his feet. Stephanie took the opportunity to turn and run, with Sportacus in close pursuit.  
  
Stephanie made a beeline towards the darkened houses, hoping that maybe someone would be awake even at this late hour. Which of her friends would be most likely to stay up late? Stephanie thought for a moment. Of course, Pixel! She ran towards the boy’s house. She screeched as she felt something graze her leg, tearing off a piece of her nightgown. She didn’t dare look back; she didn’t want to look into the animalistic eyes of her transformed friend.  
Reaching Pixel’s home, Stephanie banged frantically on the door.  
“Pixel?? Pixel, let me in! Help, please! I need to get it!” she screamed.  
No reply.  
Stephanie tearfully kept hitting the door, begging for Pixel to be awake, to let her in to safety. “Pixel, it’s the wolf! He’s out here, I need you!”  
A growl caused Stephanie to gasp and twist around, looking straight into Sportacus’s eyes. Stuck between his teeth was the piece of her nightgown. He snapped his jaw as he slowly crawled towards her. Stephanie shook, feeling herself sink to the floor. So, this was how she’d die. Mauled and eaten by one of her close friends. Tears rolling down her face, Stephanie burrowed her face into her knees, curling up into a ball. She shivered as she felt Sportacus’s wet nose sniff at her hair and pajamas, waiting for him to finally finish her. Instead, to her surprise, she felt a tug on the back of her dress’s neckline, and felt herself be lifted slightly off the ground. Suddenly, she was dragged backwards, part of her dress clutched tightly in Sportacus’s jaws. She felt her back slide against the cold ground as she held onto her dress for security. Pixel’s house quickly disappeared in front of her. She grunted in pain as the two jumped the curb of the sidewalk, and Stephanie realized she was being dragged to the park. Usually, Stephanie would be protesting and fighting against the grip of her assailant. But considering no one seemed to be awake to help her, Stephanie decided that she'd cooperate for the moment, at least until she came up with another plan.

After several minutes, Sportacus finally slowed to a halt, gently letting go of the part of Stephanie’s dress he’d bit onto. Stephanie panted, feeling her heart finally return to her chest. Sportacus crawled away, keeping an attentive watch on her. She looked up at her friend. He didn’t seem to be exhibiting any aggressive or violent body language. He seemed to be even wagging his tail slightly. However, as Stephanie tried to sit up, she stopped once she heard Sportacus start to growl, baring his teeth with his ears pinned to his head. Stephanie laid back down on the grass, Sportacus in turn going quiet, his ears perking back up. Thoughts ran through her head, thoughts of how to escape and, potentially, subdue Sportacus so that she could get the rest of the townsfolk to help her. She laid perfectly still, her eyes on occasion darting to Sportacus, who seemed to be pacing around, guarding his…prey? Packmate? Stephanie honestly had no clue what she was supposed to be in this moment.  
Something must’ve stirred in the distance, because Sportacus’s head perked up, his attention snapping away from Stephanie. He growled for a second, before springing into a sprint, bounding around corners and digging divets into the grassy fields. Finally, a chance for Stephanie to escape.  
She hopped up onto her feet. She knew that if she tried to run for her home, there was a chance that Sportacus would hear her and make chase once again, and who knows if he’d be friendly the second time around. She looked around, trying to look for anything at all that might help her in this situation. Luck was on her side, as she spotted a long chain hooked up to the brick wall. She figured it must’ve been a leftover from one of Robbie’s schemes, never removed because nobody gave it much attention and it could possibly be useful in the future. Like right now. She grabbed the end of the chain, an idea formulating in her mind. Taking the latch, she created a lasso with the chain, large enough to fit around Sportacus’s neck without choking him. Chain over her shoulder, Stephanie clambered up the tree nearby. She knew that it wouldn’t keep her safe from Sportacus, but it would give her leverage and potentially a moment of grace before she’d execute her plan.

Much to Stephanie’s surprise, it was quite some time before Sportacus reappeared. She would guess that it took over an hour before he came back, the body of a rabbit trapped in his jaws. Stephanie had to look away, trying to steel her nerves and calm the ever-present nausea in her stomach. Taking a deep breath, Stephanie prepared her lasso. Sportacus dropped his dinner and sniffed around, circling the spot where Stephanie had laid earlier. Carefully she lowered the chain, the lasso dangling and swinging slightly in the wind. She waited until Sportacus stood still in one spot. Sportacus sniffed around, his head turning up towards the tree. Stephanie took her chance. She dropped the lasso around Sportacus, right around his neck. With a quick tug, Stephanie secured the chain collar tightly, before shimmying back down the branch and down the tree. As soon as the chains hit his fur, Sportacus began to writhe and twist, biting frantically at the cold metal that constricted around his neck. He attempted to claw at the chain, pulling at the loop around his neck. Seeing this, Stephanie had a change of plans.  
“Hey! Come and get me!” Stephanie cried, taunting Sportacus while grabbing out a handful of marbles from her bag.  
Sportacus’s attention snapped to the little girl, baring his teeth and charging towards Stephanie. Stephanie quickly sprinted away, only looking back to make sure that Sportacus’s chain was still attached to the wall. She ran, with Sportacus on her heels, across the whole park, taking a gigantic loop around its perimeter. Stephanie's heart beat out of her chest, her mind growing dizzy from the constant exertion and overflow of adrenaline pumping through her body. The chain continued to unravel. Stephanie knew she still had a while to go. so she attempted to calm herself with a deep breath as she kept running.  
As she bounded around a corner, she cried out as she felt her foot catch on a crack in the pavement. Flinching, she skidded to the ground, scrambling to get herself back on her feet. Just as she was about to get back upright, Stephanie shrieked as a vice-like pain jabbed into her calf. She looked back, gasping in horror as she saw Sportacus bite down on her leg, pulling her back towards him. She clawed at the ground, desperately fighting against the pull of her friend, to no avail.  
"S-Sportacus, stop! Please!" she begged.  
He only growled in response.  
Fumbling, Stephanie took some of her marbles, immediately throwing them at Sportacus’s eyes. He whined and flinched, letting go of her leg. Stephanie frantically climbed onto her feet, running back into the park, a limp now in her stride. Her pace quickened as she heard a howl behind her, and the clacking sounds of nails against the pavement. She ran to the center of the park, hiding behind the new statue of the town’s founder. Panting, Stephanie got a look at her leg, blood trickling from the multiple puncture wounds on her calf. Tears rolled down her eyes once more, which she wiped away with the back of her hand. She screamed as she heard the sound of rocks being crushed, part of the concrete statue crumbling to the ground next to her. She crawled away, looking up to see Sportacus clenching onto the leftovers of the statue, its top half knocked off and in pieces. Stephanie gritted her teeth, staring straight into her friend’s eyes. With a howl, Sportacus coiled up and sprung at Stephanie, his clawed hands outstretched towards her neck. Stephanie closed her eyes and flinched.

The ringing sound of the chain reverberated through the park.

Sportacus let out a strangled yelp. He froze in midair, his body tumbling to the ground. Desperately, he tried to run towards Stephanie, the chain clinking and rattling with each pull as it kept him back. Stephanie opened her eyes. During his chase, Sportacus had managed to tangle the chain across enough structures and corners to pull the chain taught, keeping him trapped in his one spot. Sportacus barked and whined, clawing wildly at the open air. Stephanie backed away slowly from the panicking animal, her breathing still shallow and gasping. She feverishly clutched at her bag, shakily pulling her bat back out. Holding it in front of her, Stephanie steeled herself as she stared into her friend's eyes. Each time Sportacus's claws got close to her, Stephanie would bat his hands away. Tears continued to roll down her face as she sat numbly on the ground, all her attention focused on keeping her friend at arm's length away from her.  
A light caught her eyes, and Stephanie saw the sun start to slowly creep over the horizon. Almost on cue, Sportacus’s movements began to slow, and it seemed that he grew more sluggish with each passing minute. His hands batted aimlessly at the air, before slowing to a still. Steadily, his energy cooled, and soon enough Sportacus laid on the ground, falling into unconsciousness. Stephanie continued to sit in her spot, her eyes trained upon the large wolf lying in front of her. She froze as she saw Sportacus’s ear twitch, before laying still. She looked at her hands, still trembling from the ordeal. She shuddered, her eyes looking towards the wound on her leg. She sat there, completely still, her mind fuzzy and foggy from exhaustion.

“Oh my goodness! Stephanie, are you okay?”  
A voice broke Stephanie from her daze. She turned to see her uncle, running up with a horrified expression. The blood drained from his face, his eyes widened with fear as he looked at the damage in front of him. He ran to Stephanie, looking over her leg injury. The rest of the town ran up quickly behind him, gasping and erupting into fearful chatter.  
“Stephanie! What happened? Are you okay?” Pixel asked.  
“Your leg! Did the wolf do that to you?” Ziggy asked.  
Ms. Busybody ran to the Mayor’s side, a medical kit in hand. She handed the mayor a roll of bandage, gauze, and antiseptic wipes. Stephanie cringed as she felt the stinging burn of the antiseptic solution being applied to the bite marks.  
“Stephanie, sweetheart, we should get you to a doctor right away. This looks bad.” Ms. Busybody said softly, still wiping the bright red wound.  
  
The kids slowly approached the unconscious wolf, their eyes wide with fear.  
“He’s HUGE!” Trixie commented.  
“That’s definitely the wolf I saw two nights ago!” Ziggy said.  
Stingy picked up a spare stick, and prodded the wolf gently.  
Trixie whacked the stick out of Stingy’s hand. “Are you nuts?? Do you want it to wake up??”  
“Just wanted to see if it was dead.” Stingy explained.  
Stephanie was helped onto her feet. “He’s not dead. He’s just…asleep.” She said quietly.  
“You stopped him all on your own??” Ziggy asked.  
Stephanie nodded. The kids gasped.  
“You’re so brave, Stephanie!” Ziggy gushed.  
“You kicked that wolf’s butt!” Trixie said cheerily.  
Stephanie gave a weak smile, before flinching at the shooting pain from her leg. The kids gathered around her, looking worriedly at their friend. Ms. Busybody began to lead Stephanie away from the park.

“I’ll go ahead and place a call to a wildlife sanctuary. Perhaps they’ll know what to do with this beast.” Said Mayor Meanswell, his attention going back and forth from the passed-out wolf to the destroyed statue.  
Stephanie stopped, turning against the push Ms. Busybody was giving her. “Uncle, no! Please, let me explain…”  
“Woah, look!” said Ziggy.  
Everyone turned their attentions to the wolf. As the sun rose and bathed the town in its light, thin trails of steam rose from his body. With each passing moment, the steam grew denser and thicker, the trails swirling up and collecting into pillars of vapor. Soon enough, the steam engulfed the wolf’s body, obscuring it from the view of the townsfolk. A wind kicked up, blowing away the steam, the town gasped as they saw who laid there now.

The wolf was no longer there. In his place was the still form of Sportacus, passed out on the ground, the large chain lasso hanging loosely around his neck. Bruises and cuts littered his body, his knuckles a bright red color. His glossy, blond hair stuck in loose, sweaty strands to his damp forehead. Streaks of dried blood stained his lips and chin. He let out a pained groan, his bleary eyes blinking as he raised his head weakly to look at the townsfolk. The townsfolks’ voices were distant and muffled to him, their forms only a group of blurry colors in his view. His head spun and wavered. He could barely make out what each of them were saying.  
“S-Sportacus?”  
“How…how is this possible?”  
“No, this can’t be true. It can’t be!”  
“Sportacus can’t be the wolf! It doesn’t make sense!”  
Before Sportacus could quell their fears, before he could assure them that everything was okay, he could feel the oncoming heaviness sweep over his mind and body, dragging him back down to the ground. The townsfolks’ voices grew ever more distant and faint as Sportacus fell back into unconsciousness, his vision swallowed by darkness.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Got a lot more action in this chapter! Hope you all enjoyed it!
> 
> Just to let you guys know, this story might go on a temporary hiatus as I try to figure out what I want to happen in the next few chapters. I'm running through a few different options, but I'm not completely sure at the moment.
> 
> No worries! I will definitely still be writing for this fic. It just might be a while before the next chapter. (Sorry to leave you on such an intense note!)
> 
> Thank you for reading and stay tuned! Hopefully the next chapter won't be too long away.


	4. Chapter 4

Sportacus awoke to the chilly feeling of cold metal against his bare skin.

He shivered, his whole body protesting as he tried to get up. He groaned, laying back against the metal floor. He blinked, looking in confusion as he saw a similarly colored metal ceiling. He tried once more to get up, successfully pulling himself into a sitting position. It was then that he realized where he was.  
Surrounding him on all sides were metal bars, both vertically and horizontally aligned, obscuring much of his view of the outside. He could see, through the spaces, that he was indeed outside, and was situated in the sports park. He crawled closer to the bars, trying to peek his head out a hole. No such luck, the spaces were too small. However, he did get a view of the mayor, surveying the park and shaking his head. He glanced for a moment at the metal box, doing a double take as he realized that Sportacus was conscious.  
“Ah! Sportacus! You’re awake!” he said as nonchalantly as possible. He walked a little closer to the metal box, keeping a considerable distance between him and Sportacus. “How are you feeling?”  
“To be honest, very sore and tired. What time is it? And why am I in this cage?” Sportacus responded, flinching as his hand brushed over the still tender gashes on his arm.   
The Mayor’s expression faltered. “I’m sorry Sportacus, but the town voted on this unanimously. After what happened the last few nights…”  
“With the wolf? What happened? Did you find it? Are you all okay?” Sportacus asked worriedly.  
The Mayor looked at Sportacus with astonishment. “You mean, you don’t remember?”  
Sportacus shook his head. “No. I mean, what am I supposed to remember?” He looked down at himself, noticing the torn and tattered state of his remaining clothing. He felt the bruises on his face and the cuts along his body. He also noticed, for the first time, the strange copper taste in his mouth. As the pieces fit together in his mind, Sportacus’s expression fell, his face turning a ghostly white color. “Y-You mean…” he said softly.  
The mayor slowly nodded. “When we found you Sportacus, you looked like, well you were, a giant wolf. You turned back into your current form right in front of our eyes. Then, you passed out. We didn’t want to take any chances, given how much damage has been caused and the people that were hurt…”  
“People? Who got hurt?! Who…who did I hurt, Mayor?” asked Sportacus, his voice growing more despondent.  
The mayor froze, and he looked at Sportacus sadly. “Stephanie went outside to check on you last night. She was the one who managed to restrain you, actually. But she got hurt in the process. Right after we saw you, well, change back, Ms. Busybody took her to the doctor.”

Sportacus could feel a pit grow in his chest. He backed away slowly from the bars of the cage, shaking his head in disbelief. “N-No, no this can’t be right. I…I’d never hurt anyone. I would never hurt Stephanie.” He looked at the mayor pleadingly. “Please, tell me this is a joke! This can’t be true!”  
The mayor still looked at Sportacus sadly. “I’m sorry Sportacus, but it’s true. We know you didn’t mean it, but it still happened. Ms. Busybody promised me that she’d call once the doctors gave their verdict on Stephanie’s injury. I’ll let you know once I know.”   
Sportacus didn’t verbally respond, only nodding as he looked down at the cage floor.  
The mayor began to walk off, stopping for a second to give a sympathetic look to Sportacus, before continuing on his way to survey the rest of the park.  
Once the mayor was out of sight, Sportacus looked upon himself. He shivered, digging his fingers into his scalp as he sniffed. He drew his knees in close to his chest, burying his face into his legs. His body shaking, he murmured to himself,   
“What have I done? What have I done?”

\--

“Sportacus?”  
He raised his head at the sound of the familiar voice. His face paled when his eyes met with Stephanie’s, his heart dropping at the sight of the gauze covering her calf. She looked at him sadly, crouching down to his level.  
“How are you feeling?” she asked quietly.  
Sportacus chuckled, trying to act like all was fine for his friend. “Never been better.”  
Stephanie didn’t laugh, she didn’t even smile. She looked nearly in tears. Sportacus’s smile evaporated.   
“I can’t believe they’ve locked you up. I’m so sorry.” Stephanie said softly, feeling the metal bars with her hands.  
Sportacus gave her a sad smile. “I-It’s okay, Stephanie. It’s for the best. I’ve already caused so much damage, this is to keep everyone safe.” He said, his eyes trailing back down to her leg injury.  
Stephanie, seeing where his attention went, covered his view of her injured calf with her hand. She gave a weak smile. “It’s okay, really. The bites aren’t that deep.”  
“Bites??” asked Sportacus in horror.  
Stephanie cringed. That had slipped from her. “I mean, well they aren’t that bad. The doctors checked it out and just stitched them up. I’ll be fine.”

Her reassurance didn’t seem to help Sportacus, as he felt at his face, feeling the dried trail of blood around his mouth and chin. He shuddered, tears building in his eyes. Stephanie carefully pulled out a small handkerchief from her purse, wetting it with water from her water bottle. She handed the rag to Sportacus, who hesitantly took the cloth and dabbed the blood from his chin. His hand shook as he cleaned away the blood from his face, his eyes watering before finally he broke down, sobbing into his hands.  
Stephanie tried to reach towards Sportacus, sticking her arm through a space in the bars. Before she could get close to the hero, he pulled back, looking fearfully at the little girl.   
Stephanie’s heart shattered. “S-Sportacus, it’s okay…”  
“No, it’s not. Please, you should stay away Stephanie. I might hurt you again.” Sportacus said worriedly, his breathing growing more shallow and rapid.  
She shook her head. “But you’re not a wolf right now. Everything is okay, and I know you won’t hurt me on purpose.” She extended her hand out to Sportacus. “Come here.”  
Reluctantly, Sportacus slowly scooted forward, allowing Stephanie to give him a slight, one-armed hug, the best she could do given their current situation. He sighed, closing his eyes as a few more tears fell from his eyes. “Thank you.”  
Stephanie smiled. “What are friends for?” She looked away for a second, thinking. “Sportacus, would you happen to remember anything from last night?”  
Sportacus shook his head. “I’m so sorry, Stephanie. I…don’t remember anything. I’ve been trying so hard to remember what happened, but all I get it a pounding headache.” He said.  
Stephanie reached into her purse, pulling out a bright red, shiny apple. “Perhaps you just need some sportscandy? That usually perks you up!”  
Sportacus chuckled quietly, nodding his thanks as he took the apple and bit into it. It was sweet, but strangely (or concerningly), it didn’t taste as fresh and felt less invigorating than apples usually were for him. Still, it was food he preferred, and it made him think less about what he most likely ate the night before. He continued to bite into the apple until he’d eaten it down to the core, sighing in satisfaction.  
“Did that help any? Do you think you could remember something now?” Stephanie asked eagerly.

Sportacus looked thoughtfully, before nodding. “I can try.”  
Taking in a quick breath, Sportacus focused his attention on digging through his mind, searching desperately for anything, ANYTHING from last night, or the nights before. He furrowed his brow, looking through the endless passageways of his mind, like a librarian adjusting to a new sorting system. For a moment, he grew close to a lead. Faint echoes of howling, a scream, blood. Internally, he reached for that memory.   
However, he recoiled as he felt a stabbing pain jolt through his brain. He cringed and hissed in pain, Stephanie jumping up in concern. Sportacus massaged his temple, groaning slightly as the painful spasm bounced around his head. His eyes fluttered open a moment, Stephanie gasping as she saw his eyes briefly flash the same, inhuman yellow color, before returning to their familiar blue. Sportacus frowned, shaking his head.  
“I’m sorry Stephanie, I got close but I still can’t remember anything. Just weird, faint echoes. Nothing solid.”   
Stephanie bit her lip. “It’s okay Sportacus, we’re not going to give up. And neither should you. I came here to tell you that the others went to the LazyTown library to look up some books that might help you, and wanted to ask if you think of anything to search for in particular. Any ideas?”  
Sportacus paused, letting the pain subside before answering.  
“Try searching for, “lycanthropy”.”

\--

“Lycanthropy, huh? That’s a mouthful.” Remarked Pixel.  
Stephanie shrugged. “It’s what he said to look for. Do you think they’d have any books on that?”  
“If not, we always have my trusty computer!” Pixel grinned.  
Trixie rolled her eyes. “Yeah, because all the information on that thing is accurate.”  
Ziggy threw some books from a shelf. “There’s so many books to look through! How will we find a book on lie-can’t-ropy?”   
“Ly-canth-ropy, Ziggy.” Stephanie politely corrected. “And we just have to look by subject. According to the librarian, we’d have the best shot looking through the mythological section. Stingy, are you over there?”  
Stingy nodded. “I am! And I think I found something!”   
From high up the ladder, Stingy dropped down a large, hardcover book. Trixie plucked it off the ground, blowing off the collected dust and cobwebs. She examined the aged and tattered cover, its title written in silver lettering.   
“ ‘Beasts of Yore: A Guide to All Beings of Myth’.” She read aloud. She nodded. “This is definitely what we’re looking for.  
Trixie dropped the book onto a table, Stephanie quickly sitting down to open it. She pawed through multiple pages, skimming for what they needed. The kids crowded around her, watching with anticipation.  
“Let’s see, vampires…fairies…mermaids…sports elves…ah, here we go! Lycanthropes, otherwise known as werewolves.” She read aloud.  
The kids waited as Stephanie read through the passage.  
“Anything about cures?” asked Pixel.  
Stephanie frowned, screwing her lip. “Well, yes. Technically there are, but none of them are good. Some cultures believed in driving nails into a werewolf’s paws…”  
“No way we’re doing that.” Stingy stated.  
“Others believed lycanthropy could be cured through driving a knife through its forehead…”  
“That’d kill him! We’re definitely not doing that!” Ziggy cried, earning a shush from the librarian.  
“Oh, he we go! Wolfs bane was used to cure lycanthropy! We should try that!” Stephanie said.  
Pixel frowned. “Wolfs bane is poisonous though. That would probably kill Sportacus too.”  
Stephanie stopped, sighing as she nodded. “True, I guess we shouldn’t take that chance.” She closed the book, looking wearily at her friends. “Has anyone else found a good lead?”

The kids sadly shook their heads.  
“There’s got to be something though! I mean, something other than killing Sportacus…” Ziggy said.  
The children shuddered at the thought. That path was definitely something they’d never consider, if possible.  
Stephanie yawned, fighting to keep her eyes open.  
“Stephanie, you might want to go home. You could really use some rest.” Stingy suggested.  
“But we still need to look! I’ll be okay, just let me look for five more minutes.” Stephanie protested.  
Trixie gave Stephanie a gently push towards the door. “Come on Pinky, you need to sleep. You can keep looking tomorrow.”  
Stephanie prepared to argue more, but as soon as she stood to her feet, the weight of sleeplessness fell upon her and she found herself barely able to keep conscious. She only nodded tiredly, allowing herself to be led to the library entrance by her friend and walked home.

\--

Trixie waved goodbye to the Mayor as he closed the door quietly. He turned around, chuckling softly at the sight of his niece, passed out on the couch. He considered picking up and carrying Stephanie over to her bed, but decided that she shouldn’t be disturbed. Instead, he carefully picked up the corners of a blanket, pulling it over the slumbering Stephanie. She didn’t move or peep, dreaming too deeply to be waken.

Mayor Meanswell crept over to the wall, switching off the lights.  
“Good night, Stephanie. Sleep well.” He whispered.  
He considered going to bed himself, feeling his own body grow weary and tired. He needed sleep, yet at the same time he felt he wouldn’t be able to sleep right now. There was so much buzzing around his head, so many things that needed to be done and fixed. Not to mention the issue of their benched hero, still sitting imprisoned in the sports park. He glanced over at the pile of blankets and pillows that sat in the corner. Nodding, he made up his mind.  
“ _I should go check on Sportacus. I’m sure Stephanie would want that. And I’ll bring him a few blankets too. It’s going to be a cold night._ ” He thought to himself.   
He grabbed an armful of blankets as well as two pillows, tucking them under his arm before ducking out the front door, quietly closing it behind him.

A few minutes later, Mayor Meanswell was standing in front of the large cage, basking in its long shadow. He glanced up at the sky, nervously noting that he probably only had a few minutes before the sun had completely set. He slowly approached the cage, trying to remind himself that it was the town’s local hero in that prison, not some wild beast that would bite his arm off at the slightest provocation.  
“S-Sportacus? Are you awake?” he asked uneasily.  
His eyes widened as he heard the thudding sounds of Sportacus’s feet against the metal floor. Through the spaces in the cage, Mayor Meanswell could barely make out Sportacus’s facial features.  
“I am.” Sportacus said quickly. The Mayor could hear a tapping sound inside the cage. “Sorry, I’m just feeling a little restless right now. Not much room in here.” He apologized.  
“Oh, no! It’s okay, Sportacus. I understand. I’m sorry we didn’t make the inside a little bigger, we were pressed for time. I’ll commission a larger cage tomorrow.” The Mayor said reassuringly.  
“Thank you, Mayor.” Sportacus said distractedly. His attention was turned to his arms, which he was aggressively itching at. He let out a low sound that sounded like a growl as he itched faster. The Mayor shrunk back involuntarily as he heard the sound. Sportacus turned, seeing the fear in the Mayor’s eyes. “Sorry.” He apologized quickly.  
“No worries!” The Mayor quickly responded. He glanced down at the bundle in his arms, remembering the purpose of his visit. “Oh! Here! I wanted to give you these blankets and pillows since tonight’s supposed to be on the colder side.” He walked over to the small door, humming to himself placatingly as he pulled out his keys, unlocking the heavy cage door. Swinging the door open, the Mayor waited for Sportacus to come and retrieve his bedding. Sportacus, however, stayed in the corner where he’d spoken to the Mayor.  
“It’s a bit close to the moon rising for me to get close, don’t you think?” Sportacus asked with a sad smile.  
The Mayor looked sadly at the hero. He shook his head. “I mean, I think you will be fine. But if it’ll make you feel better, I’ll just toss them inside.”  
Sportacus nodded, so the Mayor quickly chucked the pillows and blanket inside, shutting the door immediately afterwards and relocking the padlock.

The Mayor paused for a moment before preparing to walk away.  
“Mayor?” asked Sportacus.  
The Mayor stopped. “Yes Sportacus?”  
He could hear Sportacus exhale. “How…how is Stephanie? Did the kids find anything yet?”  
The Mayor looked back at the hero. “I’m afraid the kids haven’t come up with any feasible solutions yet. As for Stephanie, she’s resting easy. Last I checked, she was tuckered out on the couch.” He said with a slight smile.  
Sportacus pressed himself against the bars. “I’m so sorry, Mayor Meanswell. I never wanted to hurt your niece. Please, I’m so sorry.”  
The Mayor gave a sad smile. “It’s okay, Sportacus. I believe everyone in LazyTown knows that you weren’t quite, uh, yourself last night. I know Stephanie doesn’t hold any ill feelings against you.”  
“I’m glad to hear that.” Sportacus said with a sigh. His body slid down the bars until he was laying on his side.  
Mayor Meanswell inspected the bars. “Perhaps this isn’t the best time to ask about this but, um, do you think this cage will be enough?”  
Sportacus looked up, glancing at the cage’s bars. He shrugged. “Hard to say. Few have tried to contain a werewolf so we’ll have to see.”  
The Mayor nodded. “I see. Well, I have Pixel setting up a few drone cameras so in case you do escape, we’ll be given a fair warning.”  
Sportacus sadly looked at the Mayor. “Good. Whatever keeps everyone safe.”

The Mayor slowly turned away. “Good night, Sportacus.”  
“Mayor?” asked Sportacus.  
“Yes?” the Mayor responded.  
Sportacus paused, looking down thoughtfully before speaking again. “Could you get me a sprig of lavender?”  
“Lavender? Whatever for?” asked the Mayor.  
“It…helps me sleep.” Said Sportacus nervously.  
The Mayor nodded. “I’ll get you some right away.” He sighed. “I only hope we can get this fixed quickly. I hope we can help you get back to normal.”  
“Me too.” Sportacus agreed quietly, before sitting back in his cage, still scratching at his arms.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I wasn't originally planning on posting this chapter until Thursday, but after seeing that today is International Fanworks Day, I decided to post it early! I hope you guys enjoy this new chapter. I know it's on the shorter side, but it's a more transitional chapter. Next chapter is when things will start getting more dramatic, or at least weird stuff will be going on.
> 
> Thank you for reading!


	5. Chapter 5

_Stephanie blinked and waved her hands in front of her, clearing some of the wispy gray fog that pooled and curled around her body. She took tentative steps forward, turning her gaze towards the sky. The night sky was clear of clouds, the dark blue space interrupted by minimal, twinkling stars and the bright, piercing light of the full moon. Stephanie shivered as a chillingly cool breeze brushed against her arms, her attention turning back to the area in front of her. She continued to progress through the fog, squinting her eyes as she made out a nebulous silhouette standing several feet in front of her._  
_Her eyes widened. “Hello? Is someone there?” she asked._  
 _The shadow of the figure was partially broken as the being opened their eyes, the bright yellow glow cutting through the thick fog._  
 _Stephanie gasped and involuntarily stepped backwards. She shook uncontrollably. She braced herself as she stepped back forwards._  
 _“S-Sportacus?” she asked weakly._  
 _A growl shattered the silence, as the beast’s shiny, white teeth glinted in the moonlight._  
 _The blood drained from Stephanie’s face. She tried to run, but her feet felt glued to the ground. She tugged at her legs desperately, trying in vain to make them move. She whimpered in fear as she heard the sounds of paws hitting the pavement, the sound growing louder as the beast approached her._  
 _“S-Sportacus, please! Don’t do this!” she begged, tears building in her eyes._  
 _It was no use. All Stephanie could do was scream as the figure broke through the fog, and she was face to face with the gigantic, black wolf, its paws outstretched towards her, growling with its maw open and at the ready to snap at her neck._

Right before impact, however, Stephanie shot upright. Panting, her eyes darted around. The wolf was nowhere to be seen. She realized she was in her uncle’s living room, the moonlight pouring through the wide window and dimly illuminating the small couch she laid on. Her eyes trailed down, and she noticed that the blanket draped carefully on her had tangled itself around her body, its corners bunched up in her white-knuckled fists. Her breathing settled slowly as she finally processed that she was in no immediate danger. She also realized that her body was coated in sweat, leaving her feeling gross and overheated.  
Throwing off the blanket, Stephanie pulled herself into a sitting position, her hands gripping the seat cushions. She took a deep breath, attempting to slow her heartbeat. No use, it still followed a panicked tempo, filling her body with dread and fear.  
She continued for several minutes, breathing in deeply and exhaling, repeating a couple mantras in her head.  
“ _It’s okay. I’m here. I’m safe. There’s no wolf here right now. I’m in no immediate danger_.” She thought to herself.  
Finally feeling herself calm, the tension draining from her body, Stephanie slowly laid back down, her body curling in on itself. She dragged the blanket back up from the floor, pulling it half over her body. She shuddered, a brief flash of the nightmare appearing in her mind. Forcing her eyes shut, she tried to fall back asleep.

\--

The Mayor hummed a tune to himself as he casually made his way to the sports park. He inhaled, breathing in the sweet smell of the blooming flowers, trying to distract himself from the memory of recent events. He gave a nod to the contractors, who were working hard on replacing the broken benches and patching up the holes in the walls. He paused, gathering himself before he rounded the next corner, the one right before the cage that held their town hero. He breathed in and out, forcing a smile before he walked to the makeshift jail.  
He stopped as he noticed something off about the cage’s bars. Blood drained from his face as he noticed the slight curvature of the usually stick straight metal bars. Had Sportacus attempted to escape last night? He must’ve not been successful, because the cage was still in one piece. He rose an eyebrow once he noticed the dark markings on the ground, blackish-gray and streaky. They darkened as Milford approached the cage itself.  
He tapped gently on the metal bars, hearing Sportacus stir within. “Good morning, Sportacus! How are you feeling?” asked the Mayor as cheerily as he could.  
He heard a groan, before Sportacus finally answered. “To be honest Mayor Meanswell, I’m not feeling too well. Kind of feel sick, actually.”  
“Oh! Oh dear, do you need medicine?” The Mayor asked worriedly.  
“N-No, I think I’ll be fine. It might just be a side effect from my – “Sportacus said, before stopping.  
Mayor Meanswell leaned closer to the cage wall, hearing the quiet and confused mutterings from the hero.  
“Oh no, oh no. No, no, no, no this isn’t right! I-It wasn’t supposed to do this!” the Mayor heard Sportacus exclaim.  
The Mayor looked through the bars nervously. “S-Sportacus? Is everything okay?” he asked.  
“This is really bad. It should’ve have done this!” Sportacus continued to ramble.  
“I-It’s probably not that bad, Sportacus! Really, it can’t be that awful, right?” The Mayor tried to say calmly.  
He couldn’t hold back a surprised noise as Sportacus slammed against the bars, Mayor Milford’s eyes meeting with the hero’s own blue eyes. The hero held up his arm. Milford shrunk back as he saw the thick, black hair that completely covered Sportacus’s arms and legs. He noticed that the hair had also grown over the hero’s neck and chest, trailing off only around the face. The tips of Sportacus’s normally blonde locks were also stained a shade of charcoal black.  
“It’s bad, Mayor Meanswell. Really bad.” Sportacus stated.

The Mayor looked at Sportacus with confusion. “H-How could this have happened? I thought that the transformation was completely reversed by morning!”  
Sportacus groaned, running his hands through his hair frustratedly as he paced around his small cage. “That’s how it _usually_ works, but I may have tampered with my lycanthropy. That sprig of lavender you brought me? I tried to use it to weaken the werewolf essence in my body. I thought that might bring me back to normal.”  
“A-And it didn’t?” The Mayor hazarded.  
Sportacus shook his head. “No. I don’t know what it did. When I completed the spell last night, I blacked out. If anything happened last night, I don’t remember it.”  
“Oh dear, then we need to hurry! If your transformations won’t be normal anymore, we don’t have much time!” The Mayor said hurriedly.  
Sportacus looked back at the Mayor. “Did the kids find anything yesterday?”  
The Mayor sadly shook his head. “I’m afraid they haven’t found anything useful yet.”  
Mayor Meanswell jumped a little as he heard Sportacus let out a frustrated growl, the hero’s eyes temporarily flashing a bright yellow color, before returning to their usual blue.  
“S-Sportacus?” asked the Mayor nervously.  
Blinking, Sportacus seemed to gather himself again. He looked apologetically at the mayor, taking in a deep breath and exhaling before continuing. “It’s okay. Everyone should be on their guard for now, though. If my transformations are irregular now, then everyone needs to be ready for the worse to happen.” A thought crossed his mind. He looked at the Mayor sadly. “How’s Stephanie?”  
The Mayor gave a weak smile. “She’s okay. When I left the house, she was still asleep. I think she’s pretty worn out from yesterday. I figured I’d let her sleep in today.”  
Sportacus nodded slowly. “A good idea.” His gaze turned downwards.  
The Mayor quickly figured out what Sportacus might be thinking. “Sportacus, Stephanie is okay. She forgives you, and she’s doing alright. The doctors said her leg would heal quickly and that no lasting damage was caused. She’ll be okay.”  
Sportacus shook his head. “But I still _bit her_. I _attacked her_. That’s not okay.” His head drooped as he sat down. “She might’ve forgiven me, but I don’t think _I_ forgive me.”  
The Mayor looked sympathetically at the hero. “Well Sportacus, you weren’t yourself when you…you know. There’s something wrong with you, something we’re working to fix. You wouldn’t normally hurt anyone in LazyTown, especially not the children.”

“But I still did.” Sportacus answered, burrowing his head into his lap.  
The Mayor sighed sadly. He really wished he could say something that would reassure the hero a little better. But he was at a loss. Instead, he sat back against the bars, turning his head up towards the sky.  
A few minutes of silence passed. Milford finally broke the silence. “You know, Sportacus, once we get this fixed, you can figure out a better apology. That is, if that would help you feel better. Everyone can help you too.”  
Sportacus looked up, a weak smile crossing his face. “I would like that. Thank you, Mayor Meanswell.”  
The Mayor nodded. “It’d be our pleasure, Sportacus!”  
Sportacus smiled a genuine smile. He sighed, his attention turning towards the rows of houses that surrounded the park. Specifically, he looked at the Mayor’s home. He couldn’t see Stephanie from where he was, but he hoped that she was resting easy.  
He thought warmly about throwing a big apology party for the little girl. One with cake (despite him being unable to eat the confection), music, and all her friends invited. It would be amazing, and a good respite from all the chaos that occurred recently. He smiled, thinking about how he’d make a big card covered in glitter and stickers for her. It’d be perfect, just the right thing to make up for how he bit her.

Bit her.

He bit her.

_As a werewolf_.

A cold sweat built over Sportacus’s body. He turned frantically towards the Mayor, scaring the man half to death as he slammed against the bars.  
“Mayor Meanswell! You have to tell me; did you make sure to give her fireflower tea last night?” Sportacus asked worriedly.  
The Mayor, collecting himself, answered, “N-No, I don’t believe we did. Why?”  
Sportacus’s face turned a ghostly white. He sat back on his heels, keeping constant eye contact with the mayor.  
“Mayor Meanswell. I bit Stephanie when I was a werewolf.” Sportacus said quietly. “Lycanthropy is most commonly transmitted through biting. Fireflower tea was the only way to kill off the influence before it spread through her body. And if it’s been a whole day since she was bitten…it’s too late.”  
The Mayor froze. He stayed silent, trying to process what Sportacus was implying. Finally, he shakily asked, “A-Are you saying…?”  
Sportacus slowly nodded.  
The Mayor grew hysterical. “T-Then, what do I do?? How do I cure her?! I can’t let Stephanie become a werewolf too!”  
Sportacus looked at the mayor gravely. “Until we’re sure, all you can do is gather some protective measures. Get as much silver as you can and keep a close eye on her tonight. And hope that I’m jumping to conclusions.”

\--

Stephanie spent the whole day relaxing and recuperating, resting in her uncle’s home and eating easy to digest food and drinks. While she still felt tense and uneasy, it was still a well needed day. As she completed her fifth jigsaw puzzle of the day, she noticed the sun beginning to set. She yawned. She was surprised at how tired she felt, given how early it was.

Mayor Meanswell, hearing his niece’s yawn, perked his head up from the pile of dishes he’d busied himself with cleaning. Stripping off the bright yellow gloves from his hands, he tried to casually approach Stephanie, hiding his nervousness.  
“Oh! Stephanie, are you feeling tired?” he asked calmly.  
Stephanie nodded with a weary smile. “I am. And it’s not even 8:08 yet! I must be still exhausted from the other day.”  
The Mayor gave an uneasy smile. “Well you did have quite the busy day the other day! It makes sense you’d need to sleep more.”  
Stephanie stretched her arms as she nodded in agreement. “I think I’m going to go to bed. Good night, uncle!”  
Mayor Meanswell gave his niece a quick hug. “Goodnight Stephanie, sleep well!”  
Stephanie returned the hug, before turning away and walking towards her bedroom. She paused right before the door, turning back towards her uncle with a confused expression. “Uncle, what’s this weird metal thing bolted to my door?”  
Mayor Meanswell walked towards Stephanie, looking at the silver horseshoe tacked in the middle of her door. “O-Oh! That! Well, I, um, found it at a garage sale! I thought it suited your room and that you’d like a new little decoration!” he said, trying to disguise his nervousness.  
Stephanie rose an eyebrow in suspicion, before shaking off the feeling. She opened her door, stopping as she noticed similar silver horseshoes tacked to each of her walls. She looked back at her uncle. “Wow, this is…a lot of horseshoes. Thanks, uncle?”  
“You’re welcome, Stephanie!” The Mayor answered. He hoped if he played the oblivious card, maybe she wouldn’t question her strange new decorations.  
Stephanie sighed, smiling as she shook her head. She waved at her uncle as she closed the door, the mayor locking it from the outside.

With Stephanie secured and preparing for bed, Mayor Meanswell proceeded with the next step. Clutching a wooden chair, Mayor Meanswell propped it against the wall. He walked over to a small toy chest near the door, pulling out a long silver bat from the box. He then sat down in the chair, getting comfy and ready for the long night he had ahead of him.

\--

_Mysterious creatures rustled above her as Stephanie walked through the forest glade. Shivering, she continued her careful and slow stroll through the woods, her eyes darting up and down at each sound she heard. She froze as she heard something shake the bushes at her right. She clutched at her purse, pulling out a small, pink flashlight. With a click, she shone a bright beam of light at the shrubbery._  
_“C-Come out! I’m not scared of you!” she said as confidently as she could._  
 _A solid minute passed, before the bush shaker emerged, revealed to be a tiny bunny rabbit._  
 _The tension slipped from Stephanie’s shoulders, and she nervously laughed._  
 _“Just a rabbit. Nothing dangerous.” She assured herself._  
 _Turning back to the path, Stephanie continued her walk. As she continued, she felt her nervousness return as the thick gray fog curled around her legs, covering the pathway and obscuring her view. Squinting her eyes, Stephanie aimlessly wandered into the haze. As she walked, she spotted a silhouette, crouched on the ground. A lump formed in her throat as she heard the silhouette gasp and pant. Slowly, she approached the man. As she drew closer, she began to make out details and colors. She soon paused, realizing who it was. She stretched her hand towards the person._  
 _“Sportacus?” she asked timidly._  
 _Sportacus looked up at Stephanie, his face slicked with sweat and tears. His chest rose and fell rapidly, his eyes wide and unfocused. His arms were still wrapped around his midsection. He prepared to say something, before flinching and curling back into himself._  
 _“Sportacus, what’s wrong?!” Stephanie asked worriedly._  
 _The hero shot Stephanie a look of warning, his breathing still shallow and panicked. “You need to leave, Stephanie.” He hissed._  
 _Stephanie shrunk back. “But Sportacus, you’re in pain!”_  
 _“There’s nothing to be done! I can’t be helped!” Sportacus said in despair. He cried out in pain as he doubled over, his spine poking up under his skin and his bones audibly shifting and creaking._  
 _“Sportacus…” said Stephanie in fear. She stepped further backwards as she watched her friend’s body painfully contort and shift. She clasped her hands over her ears, futilely trying to block out the cries and screams of her friend. She began to shake as she watched fur grow over her friend’s body at an alarming rate, obscuring his facial features._  
 _Suddenly, without warning, Sportacus turned towards Stephanie, falling onto his hands and knees. Stephanie shrieked, fumbling backwards as Sportacus began to crawl towards her. His body was still visibly changing as he clawed at the ground, pulling his body towards the trembling girl. Stephanie whimpered as she saw the hero’s shoulder blades contort and warp out of position, forming the lupine hackles. She saw his face stretch forward, forming a long snout. His eyes kept flashing from yellow to blue, to yellow, to back to blue, before settling on yellow. A low growl rumbled from his throat as Sportacus opened his jaw, revealing his still shifting teeth, growing and stretching in such an excruciating fashion that Stephanie had to fight not to pass out from the sight._  
 _Sportacus only paused once, long enough to say, with his voice deep and growing less human, “Run.”_  
 _And Stephanie bolted._

_She sprinted past trees and bushes, pushing away low branches and vines, her heart thumping in her head as she serpentined throughout the thick and brambly forests. She gasped as she tripped over a raised root, tumbling onto her hands. She cringed, feeling the soreness run up her arms. For a brief second, Stephanie turned to look over her shoulder, her eyes widening as she saw the glowing yellow eyes grow closer._   
_She scrambled back onto her feet, stumbling as she brought herself back into a full-on sprint. She panted as she continued to wind around trees and boulders, hoping to lose the beast. No use; the wolf was hot on her heels, his jaws snapping at her ankles._   
_There was little Stephanie could do other than scream and continue to run faster._   
_“SOMEONE HELP ME!” she cried._

\--

Milford woke up with a start, the cries of his niece piercing through the silence of the house. He fumbled with the metal baseball bat in his hands, trying to collect himself to form his plan of action. His attention turned towards the door, his ears tuning to the cries and yells of Stephanie. His face paled as he continued to hear her scream.  
“S-Stephanie? Is everything okay?” he asked worriedly.  
He leaned his ear against the door, listening to his niece whimper and cry.  
“P-Please, get away from me! Please!” she said tearfully.  
Mayor Meanswell looked in confusion and terror. “S-Stephanie, who’s in there? Is there someone in there with you?”  
“N-No! Sportacus! Stop!” she begged.  
Sportacus? Could the mayor have missed hearing the hero, now at this point a lumbering wolf, enter his home and terrorize his niece? He shook his head. No, that’d be ridiculous. As deep of a sleeper Milford was, he wouldn’t sleep through something as noisy as that. Something else was going on, and he knew he had to do something. Ignoring the nagging fear in the back of his mind, reminding him that his niece was still in danger of changing into a werewolf herself, Milford unlocked Stephanie’s door and entered carefully.  
Indeed, he was right. Sportacus was nowhere to be seen. But what he did see was about as terrifying. Stephanie was still in bed, the sheets and comforter kicked over the end as she flailed and shook. She squirmed and whimpered, occasionally yelling and screaming more coherent sentences, mostly pleads for her mental assailant to let up his pursuit. Her eyes were screwed shut, and sweat had pooled on her brow.  
Milford, unsure of what to do, rushed to his niece’s bedside. He sat upon her mattress, gently placing his hands upon her arms. She shuddered and trembled, cringing as her nightmare continued.  
“Stephanie! Please! You need to wake up! You’re dreaming!” Milford begged.  
Stephanie continued to kick and whimper.  
“It’s alright, Stephanie. Sportacus isn’t here! You’re okay!” Milford said soothingly, a pain building in his heart as he realized that he was reassuring his niece that she wasn’t in any danger _from their town’s hero_.  
Stephanie’s slowly stopped fighting, her body still trembling.  
“Breathe, Stephanie. Everything is going to be okay.” Said Milford worriedly.  
  
Sniffling, Stephanie finally opened her eyes, red and blotchy from the tears that had built up. Her breathing was still shallow and panicked as she looked around her room, realizing that the forest had all been in her mind. The wolf was never there. She was never in any danger.  
The tension in her body loosened, and Stephanie began to sob, her arms still shivering.  
Milford, seeing how distressed his niece was, gently and carefully pulled her into a hug. Stephanie wrapped her arms around her uncle and stained his pajama shirt with her tears, her hiccupping gasps and cries muffled by the fabric. He gently smoothed the back of her head, hushing her and rocking her back and forth.  
“It’s okay, Stephanie. Everything is okay. You’re safe and sound at home. I’ve got you.” Whispered Milford, his heart breaking as he continued to hear his niece’s sobs.  
Finally, Stephanie lifted her head, her eyes still bright red and watery. She looked at her uncle miserably.  
“I-I’m so sorry, uncle. I…I d-didn’t mean to scare you. I just t-thought that I was…was…” she stuttered, her words interrupted by choked sobs and hiccups.  
“Chased by Sportacus?” asked Milford gently.  
More tears rolled down her face. “I don’t want to be scared by him, uncle. He’s my friend. I-I know that wasn’t him the other night. B-But, I still am, and I’m so a-angry about that…why am I so s-scared…”  
“Stephanie, you went through a lot the other night. It doesn’t matter who or what put you through that ordeal, it was still a lot to handle, especially for someone your age. You shouldn’t feel bad, you’re still dealing with what’s happened.” Milford said reassuringly. He brushed the tears from his niece’s face. “It’s okay to be scared, Stephanie. And I’m glad you told me. We can work through this together. We’ll first cure Sportacus’s lycanthrophy, so that’s out of the way, then we can work on helping you put this to bed.” He gave her a smile. “Does that sound okay?”  
Stephanie nodded weakly, before continuing to sob into her uncle’s shoulder.  
Mayor Meanswell continued to sit with his weeping niece, rocking her back and forth, comforting her until she finally fell asleep.

\--

“So, is Stephanie going to join us, Mayor Meanswell?” asked Pixel.  
The Mayor shook his head. “No, I’m afraid Stephanie isn’t ready yet. I haven’t even told her about what happened yesterday. I think she still needs time to recuperate.”  
“And is she?”  
The Mayor shook his head once more. “No, I don’t think so. I stayed with her last night and she didn’t transform. I think even though she was bit, she wasn’t infected.”  
Pixel looked relieved. “That’s good to hear.”  
The Mayor nodded. “Indeed. Now, what’s this I heard you’ve made?”  
Pixel lifted a long, metal rod with a hypodermic needle on the end. “I spent last night researching werewolf cures and I may have a lead! All we have to do is inject Sportacus with it, and he should revert back to normal!”  
“I hope you’re right, Pixel. We need Sportacus back to normal.” Sighed the Mayor.

As they both approached the cage doors, the mayor noticed how the bars seemed to have a larger bend than usual in their structure, with one bar even knocked from its place, laying in pieces on the ground. A shiver ran up both the Mayor and Pixel’s spines. Within the darkened space of the cage, Sportacus could not be seen.  
The Mayor was first to approach the cell. He knocked on one of the bars. “Good morning, Sportacus! Good news, Pixel has synthesized a possible cure and has it ready and waiting!” Pixel approached the bars with the rod, sticking the end with the needle between them.  
No response.  
Sweat began to build on the mayor’s forehead. “Umm, Sportacus? Are you awake in there?” he asked.  
A pair of yellow eyes glowed in the darkness.  
The Mayor felt his heart stop. “S-Sportacus?”  
A growl and a flash of shiny white fangs froze the mayor and Pixel in their places. Both of them could only scream as a pair of clawed hands stretched out at them, Sportacus lunging and leaping towards the cage wall.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Goodness it's been a while huh? Thank you all for your patience and I hope you enjoyed this chapter! Things are gonna start getting interesting, especially with Sportacus's werewolf form. I hope to start updating more frequently, but life is crazy right now and I can't write as much as I'd like. Still, thank you all for reading and hope you enjoy how the story progresses!


	6. Chapter 6

“Sweetie, is everything okay? Would you like some more tea? Your cup must be cold by now.”  
Stephanie blinked and looked up. She hadn’t realized that she’d been staring blankly at her tea cup all this time. She gave a weak smile and shook her head. “No thank you, Ms. Busybody.”  
Ms. Busybody pursed her lips and gently placed down her own cup. “What’s wrong, Stephanie? You don’t seem like yourself today.”  
Stephanie held her weak smile. “I’m fine. Thanks for asking, Ms. Busybody.”  
Ms. Busybody gave Stephanie a look. “Now dear, I believe I’ve been around long enough to know when someone is lying. And trust me, lying rarely does anyone any good.” Her look softened as she stirred another sugar cube into her tea. “Are you certain there’s nothing on your mind?”  
Stephanie sighed as she shifted in her seat. “I guess…I guess I’m just thinking about Sportacus.”  
“Worried about him, aren’t you?” asked Ms. Busybody.  
Stephanie nodded. “I saw uncle when he came home last night. He seemed so flustered and distracted. He wouldn’t tell me anything about Sportacus, but I could just feel that he knew something and it wasn’t good.” She looked at Ms. Busybody pleadingly. “ _Has_ something happened to Sportacus? Has he gotten worse?”  
Ms. Busybody froze. She mulled over her potential responses as she sipped from her teacup. She finally sighed and shook her head. “Milford had asked me to not say anything to you about Sportacus.” She finally confessed.  
Tears built up in Stephanie’s eyes. “So, it HAS gotten worse? I-Is he…is he going to…to…” she said shakily, her voice interrupted by choked sobs.  
Ms. Busybody stood up hastily and walked over to Stephanie, soothing her gently. “No, Stephanie no! We…we aren’t sure what’s happening to Sportacus. B-But we shouldn’t jump to conclusions, okay? Last I heard, Pixel had developed a potential cure. He’s going to be okay, Stephanie.” She gently hugged the girl.  
Muffled by Ms. Busybody’s cardigan, Stephanie said, “Ms. Busybody, I can’t just sit back and do nothing. Please, I want to help. What can I do?”

Ms. Busybody pulled away and gently brushed a tear-soaked strand of hair from Stephanie’s face, giving her a reassuring smile. “Sweetheart, the best thing you can do right now is rest. Without your help, we would’ve never been able to contain Sportacus and keep him safe. You’ve already gone through so much, much more than a little girl like yourself should have to go through. You need to take care of yourself. The rest of LazyTown can handle this werewolf debacle for the time being.” She looked Stephanie in the eye. “Does that sound okay?”  
Stephanie wasn’t convinced. She still felt driven to do something, _anything_. She hated just sitting back while her friend was in trouble. But for Ms. Busybody and her uncle’s sake, she nodded with a false smile. “Yes, that does. Thanks, Ms. Busybody.”  
Ms. Busybody smiled and gave Stephanie one more quick hug. “You’re welcome, dearie.” She said. Letting Stephanie go, she made her way to the kitchen. “Now, dry those tears! We have some freshly baked cookies to enjoy!” she said cheerily. Opening the oven, she pulled out a sheet of hot, fragrant chocolate chip cookies. Stephanie sniffed the air and smiled. They did smell really good.  
“All we have to do is let them cool, then we can enjoy th –“ Ms. Busybody said.

At that moment, however, a pair of screams shattered the peace of Ms. Busybody’s dining room.

In shock, Ms. Busybody dropped the tray of cookies, sending the confections flying across the floor. Stephanie turned towards the source of the sound, realizing the screams came from the sports park. She also quickly recognized who one of the screams belonged to.  
“Uncle! He must be in trouble!” Stephanie cried out worriedly. Wasting not a moment, she yanked her purse off the chair and threw open the front door, bolting towards the sports park.  
“Stephanie! Wait!” called Ms. Busybody, but the girl was long gone. Ms. Busybody jogged nervously after the girl, making a beeline towards the sports park.

\--

The scene that Stephanie and Ms. Busybody arrived to was one of chaos and disarray.   
Pixel was on the ground, crawling desperately away from the mess of purple liquid and shattered glass that laid on the dirt, trembling and shaking as his eyes trailed up to the cage.  
Mayor Meanswell also laid on the ground, groaning as he felt a giant bruise on top of his head, one that was already beginning to purple and swell.  
And in the cage, Stephanie gasped as she saw Sportacus lunge again at the cage bars. Much to her horror, she was right: his condition had only gotten worse since she’d last seen him. Not only had a blanket of pitch black fur grown entirely over every visible bit of skin, but she spotted the longer canines and sharp claws he now sported, as well as his malformed ears, stuck somewhere between a wolf’s ear and his normal, elven ears. His eyes glowed a bright yellow as he thrashed and snarled, his body pressed against the metal rods in an attempt to flee his imprisonment.  
Ms. Busybody quickly ran to Mayor Meanswell’s side, attending to his bruised head and propping him up against the leg of a bench.  
Stephanie, noticing that Sportacus was attempting to reach for Pixel’s leg, rushed to her friend’s side. Pixel screamed as he felt Sportacus’s claws graze against his ankle, just barely failing to grab onto the child’s leg. Stephanie had just barely managed to yank her friend far enough away.  
Pixel looked up thankfully at Stephanie before he looked at the pool of purple liquid. “No no! He destroyed my antidote!” Pixel said mournfully.

Before Stephanie could respond, she was interrupted by a harsh bark from Sportacus, who was still clawing at the dirt. Stephanie, filled with anger and fear, glared straight at the half-man, half-wolf in defiance.  
“Sportacus! This needs to stop! Knock it off!” Stephanie said with as much courage as she could muster.  
Sportacus’s eyes widened, a look of recognition in his eyes. He shook his head, growling low as he backed away. He clasped his head, dragging his claws into his scalp. He panted, lowering his head as a low growl continued to rumble in his throat.  
Stephanie’s harsher glare faltered, and was replaced with a more pleading look. “Sportacus, please! You have to remember! We’re your friends!” Stephanie said encouragingly.  
Sportacus continued to growl, his legs digging uselessly at the bottom of his cage. Finally, after several minutes, he lifted his head, his eyes shifting back to the familiar, sky-blue color. He continued to pant, looking fearfully at Stephanie. He glanced around at the scene in front of him, looking in horror as he realized what he’d done.  
“S-Stephanie…” he said, cupping a hand over his mouth as he heard how low and raspy his voice sounded. He panicked as he finally noticed the claws on his hands and feet.  
Seeing how distressed her friend was becoming, Stephanie cautiously reached through the bars. “Sportacus, what’s going on? Do you know what’s happening? Please, it’s okay.”  
Sportacus shrunk away, his heart dropping as he saw the small trace of hope vanish from Stephanie’s face.  
“Sportacus, please.” Said Stephanie, her voice dropping in volume.  
Sportacus slowly edged back closer to his friend, his eyes watering and filled with guilt. “Tried a spell to reverse my transformation. It…it didn’t work. I don’t know what’s happening.” He admitted.  
“Is there anything we can do to help?” Stephanie asked.  
“Yes, you can stay away.” Sportacus said quickly.  
Stephanie’s eyes widened. “Sportacus, no. We want to help you! There must be a way! There’s always a way!” she responded with gusto.  
She attempted to reach through the bars once more, reaching towards her distressed friend. Sportacus, in that moment, seemed to snap. His eyes shifted to a yellow color as he growled and attempted to bite at Stephanie’s hand. Stephanie, just in time, pulled her hand back, gasping in shock as she fell back onto her butt. She stared in fear at her friend.  
Sportacus, coming to his senses, was horrified by what he attempted to do. He backed away slowly towards a far corner of his cage, his breathing becoming more shallow and uneasy. “Please Stephanie, I don’t want to hurt you or anyone else anymore. Just stay away, that way you and everyone else will be safe.” Said Sportacus tearfully.  
Stephanie opened her mouth, preparing a response, before she closed it once more. She looked pleadingly at her friend, seeing how he stayed put in the back corner. Fighting back tears, she turned and looked at her uncle, hoping for some form of good news.

Mayor Meanswell, standing to his feet, carefully dusted off the dirt on his suit. He, with assistance from Ms. Busybody, walked over to Pixel, who was feverishly trying to scoop up the spilled purple liquid.  
“Pixel, are you okay? Are you hurt?” asked the Mayor.  
Pixel nodded quickly. “I’m fine, but the antidote…” he said, his attention still stuck on the destroyed metal rod and antidote.  
“Can you save any of it? You know, salvage some of the antidote?” asked Ms. Busybody.  
Pixel sadly shook his head. “It’s all been contaminated. We’d risk making Sportacus sicker or infecting him with something else if we tried to use this.” He answered, scooping a shallow pool of the purple liquid into his hand.  
The Mayor looked at Pixel hopefully. “Well, this isn’t the end of the world, is it? You could just make some more! I mean, that wouldn’t take long, would it?”  
Pixel looked at the Mayor, his face fixed in a downhearted expression. “Mr. Mayor, this antidote took me two days to synthesize. I won’t have more ready until then. I’m really sorry.” He said.  
Mayor Meanswell’s face paled. He glanced up at Sportacus, who had begun to circle the cage, and Stephanie, whose eyes began to water with fear and concern. He gave his niece a weakly assuring smile, which he also gave to Pixel. “T-That should be fine! Just go run along and start working on it, okay? That way it’s ready as soon as possible!” he said, patting the boy’s head.  
Pixel shot up onto his feet, nodding before running back towards his house, some of the broken metal rod in his arms.

With a new plan in motion, Mayor Meanswell turned his attention to his niece. He approached Stephanie, placing a hand on her shoulder.  
“Come along, Stephanie. There’s nothing we can do for now. Perhaps…perhaps it’d be for the best if we leave Sportacus be.” He suggested gently.  
Stephanie didn’t move. She sat still, her eyes fixed upon her friend. She finally slowly shook her head.  
“I’m not leaving.” She said quietly.  
“Stephanie, please. If Sportacus believes that it’d be better if we leave him be for now, we should listen.” Mayor Meanswell said more firmly.  
Stephanie looked again at Sportacus, who was sitting and scratching at the back of his ear furiously. She grimaced as, even through the dim-lighting of the cell, she could see it shift and change, growing more curved and hollow. More like a wolf’s ear. Sportacus’s eyes shot over to her, still glowing a bright yellow. His eyes darted back and forth between the pleading and fearful expression on Mayor Meanswell’s face and the determined yet concerned expression on Stephanie’s. The yellow faded once more, replaced momentarily by his normal bright blue.  
He glanced back at Mayor Meanswell, who almost seemed to be mentally pleading him to convince Stephanie to leave.  
Sportacus gave Stephanie a warm smile, which quickly faded as he saw the horror on Stephanie’s face. He forgot that he now sported some rather prominently sharp canines. He settled for a lopsided and weak smirk.   
“I’ll be okay, Stephanie. Go ahead and run home. Don’t worry too much, I’ll be back to normal in a few days.” Sportacus said, trying to hide his uneasiness over his newly deep and raspy voice.

Stephanie, reluctantly, stood to her feet. She only gave a silent and worried glance before she slowly walked home with her uncle.

\--

It was impossible for Stephanie to fall asleep.

It wasn’t from a lack of weariness. From the constant nightmares and the rather stressful day she had, Stephanie was more than tired enough to just crash asleep. In fact, it was almost torturous to lay down in such a comfortable and soft bed, dressed in her comfiest pajamas, and _not_ instantly fall asleep.  
And it wasn’t just because her mind was going crazy with ideas and thoughts, all in some attempt to figure out a way to help her friend. It wasn’t helping, of course. It was one of the driving factors for why she’d been lying awake in her bed for the last two hours.

But the main reason she couldn’t fall asleep was _the noises_.

The noises that came from the sports park.

Yowls and cries, screams and howls that were borderline inhuman.

And knowing the probable reason _why_ they existed only made hearing them worse for Stephanie. She grabbed her pillow and pressed it against her ears, in a vain attempt to drown out the noise. The screams pierced through the cottony barrier, causing Stephanie to begin to cry. She hated hearing her dear friend in such pain and agony. She hated seeing her friend become warped beyond recognition, seemingly losing himself to whatever was running through his bloodstream. But possibly even more than that, Stephanie hated the helplessness she felt in not being to help Sportacus stop the monsterous transformation he was suffering from.

She was tempted to try and escape the house again. Bring Sportacus some aspirin or sportscandy, or perhaps a blanket at least. But she’d already tried that earlier. She had grabbed a blanket and tied it into a bindle around a hockey stick, filling it with apples and oranges, along with a single bottle of painkiller. She almost made it out the front door before her uncle caught her, turning her back towards her room. He plucked out a single orange from the satchel and shook his head.  
“I know that you want to help Stephanie, and that’s great of you. But I’m afraid there’s nothing we can do right now.” Mayor Meanswell said sadly. He glanced at the orange and sighed. “Besides, I tried to give him sportscandy earlier. He wouldn’t eat it.” He said under his breath.  
“What?” Stephanie said worriedly.  
“Good night, Stephanie.” Mayor Meanswell said quickly, placing the orange on the counter.

Sighing, Stephanie forced her eyes shut, trying to once more drown out the strangled cries that rang through the town. Her mind continued to run, searching frantically for potential solutions or plans for the morning.

\--

Pain was all that Sportacus could think about at the moment.

It pulsed through his body, stretching through his skin and fur, cracking his bones out of place and shifting them to new and uncomfortable positions. And with each crackle and snap, he let out another howl or scream. Or both, in a disturbingly strangled mixed up cacophony. His newly grown tail folded between his legs as he dragged himself across the cage floor, hoping to distract himself from the excruciating agony with some movement. Another wave of bone displacing pain sent Sportacus falling to the floor with a yowl and a yelp. The pins and needles feeling was travelling up his neck and into his face. Sportacus struggled to fight the urge to start scratching and clawing at his nose and mouth as he felt something press outwards from within his face, stretching and forming a muzzle. Tears dripped from his eyes as he panted and whined, his eyes darting around as they shifted back and forth between yellow and blue.

It was growing too much for him to handle. He needed out. Lifting himself onto his hands and knees, Sportacus ran on all fours, aiming himself directly as the cage walls. His shoulder and arm hit the side of the cage with a deafening _bang_ , leaving a stinging feeling that ran through his tricep and bicep, distracting him momentarily from the still agonizing cracking and breaking of his skeleton. He bashed himself against the walls again, over and over, leaving bruises under his fur. He whined, seeing his attempts appear fruitless. The walls still stood strong. Desperate, Sportacus began to chew on the metal bars, his teeth grinding uselessly at the solid metal.

Footsteps.

Sportacus snapped his head towards the noise, his eyes flashing a bright yellow. He snarled and bared his teeth. A primal haze was fogging his thoughts, causing him to react aggressively on instinct towards the oncoming stranger.  
Admittedly, he initially didn’t recognize the strange man. He had deliberately worn a large and flowing cloak that obscured whatever physical features Sportacus could’ve discerned. The man glanced up quickly at Pixel’s camera drones before turning back to Sportacus.  
He carefully pulled out a small piece of steak from his pocket, the smell immediately catching Sportacus’s attention. Sportacus gave up his fruitless attempt to chew through the steel in favor of drawing closer to the man. He cautiously sniffed the piece of meat, before he ravenously snatched it out of the man’s hand. Turning away, Sportacus began to tear away pieces from the steak, chewing up and eating the beef.   
Sportacus’s ear twitched. He could hear the man move behind him. His eyes shot back towards the man, and he growled lowly as he saw the stranger reach towards him, an empty syringe in his hand. He shrunk back, his ears pinned to his head.  
The stranger sighed. “Come on, just cooperate with me for one second. I gave you a steak, didn’t I? I fed you. You owe me this.”  
The man tried to reach towards Sportacus again, only for Sportacus to take a step back and growl louder.  
The stranger pulled his arm back and looked down thoughtfully. He turned his head up and said, “Look, if I take off the hood, will you trust me?”  
Sportacus continued to stare the man down.  
“I’ll take your silence as a yes.” The stranger said. Carefully, the stranger pulled his hood off.  
Sportacus instantly recognized the face. He charged towards the door, looking desperately at the man.  
“Rorrraeh!” Sportacus warbled. In horror, he drew back and clasped his muzzle. Had that mangled word come from _him_?  
Robbie looked at the hero and uttered a single, harsh laugh. “So, it’s worse than I thought. You can’t even talk properly anymore, can you?”  
Sportacus glanced at the man worriedly, seeing the dark circles around the man’s eyes.   
“Rohraeh…” he attempted to say again, his voice growing increasingly deep and gravelly. Suddenly, Sportacus seized up, his pupils contracting as he howled in pain. Robbie watched in horror as Sportacus’s shoulder blades rose from under his skin, forming the wolf-like hackles. As the bones settled, Sportacus slumped down onto the floor, his forehead wet with sweat. He looked up at the villain pleadingly, tears pouring down his cheeks.

Uneasily and cautiously, Robbie patted the hero’s head, trying to make as little contact as possible.  
“Okay listen, elf. I need you to sit still for a minute. This might hurt a little, though I imagine a lot less than what you’re feeling right now.” Robbie said matter-of-factly, chuckling quietly.  
Sportacus whimpered and weakly lifted his head.  
“Oh, don’t give me that look. Just hold still and try and think about…I don’t know, whatever makes wolves happy. Chasing rabbits, I guess.”  
Robbie pulled out the hypodermic needle once more and carefully placed it against Sportacus’s upper arm. Pressing down on the plunger, Robbie slowly inserted the needle into his arm. Sportacus, feeling the foreign sensation, turned back and attempted to bite at Robbie’s hand, his jaw snapping wildly at the tips of the villain’s fingers.  
“Ow! Knock it off, you stupid elf! I’m trying to help you!” hissed Robbie, feeling the hero’s canines nip the top of his hand. He pulled back on the plunger, drawing a vial full of blood. He carefully put the vial back into his coat pocket, before sitting back and watching the hero.  
Free of the needle, Sportacus got back up and growled at the villain. Robbie stared down the hero wearily.  
“You’re welcome.” Robbie said sarcastically.  
Sportacus, suddenly, flinched and whined as another wave of pain ran up his spine. He laid low against the ground, trying to distract himself with the cool sensation of the metal floor. He uttered a string of high-pitched whines and fitful whimpers, his blue eyes looking up and silently begging the villain for help.  
“That bad, huh? Serves you right for keeping me up the last few nights, and for keeping everyone in town up with your current behavior.” Robbie said, giving Sportacus a look.  
Sportacus only yelped in response, another sharp pain striking his jaw.  
Robbie shook his head. “Don’t worry. I’m not cruel enough to leave you in pain like this.” He pulled out another syringe from his pocket, this one filled with a clear liquid. He slowly approached Sportacus, the hero shrinking back at the sight of yet another needle, glinting in the moonlight.  
“You’ll have to suck it up, Sportaflop. It’s just a needle. Trust me, this will help. It’s a sedative, so it should put you right to sleep.” Robbie noted. He frowned at the fearful shaking of the hero. “I’m not going into your cage, so if you want help you better get yourself over here.”  
Sportacus lifted his head and, reluctantly, inched his way closer to the cage wall, flinching at the still-continuing waves of pain in his body. Obediently he laid himself down, laying his head against the cool metal bars. As Robbie administered the sedative, he barely let out a chuff of protest. He was too tired and in pain to really argue or fight back at this point.

Robbie looked over at Sportacus as he pushed down on the plunger. Instinctually, he found himself gently stroking the hero’s head, smoothing the messy, now stained black locks of hair on his head. The elf might be his nemesis and, yes, Robbie hated that his plan backfired so badly that he was forced to _comfort_ and _help_ the hero. But at the same time, all of this was caused by said plan backfiring. He may not like Sportacus, but he’d never wish the kind of agony the hero was experiencing on anyone.   
He watched as Sportacus’s eyes began to flutter closed, and it seemed like the lupine hero was fighting to stay awake.  
“You don’t have to try and stay awake for me, Sportawolf. Just let yourself fall asleep.” Robbie coaxed.  
Sportacus attempted to say something in protest, or perhaps just let Robbie know something, but all that spilled from his mouth was a string of warbled growls and barks. This seemed to startle Sportacus, who began to whine and look fearfully at the villain.  
Robbie ran a hand through his hair, inhaling a deep gulp of air as he tried to clear the building stress in his head. As he exhaled, he laid his forehead down in his hands. “God, this is not good. You’re turning into a wolf faster than I thought. This is really bad.” He said quietly.  
Sportacus fought to lift his head, leaning over with some effort and poking his muzzle through the bars. He bumped the villain’s thigh, attempting to give him comfort.  
Robbie looked down and sighed. “Look Sportacus, I’m going to be blunt with you. I don’t know what’s going to happen once your sedative wears off. With how fast the wolf influence is building in you, I don’t know if you’ll even _remember_ anyone once you wake up. You may not even remember who _you_ are.”  
Sportacus’s pupils shrunk, his ears flopping back against his head.  
“However, I’m working on a method to reverse…this.” Robbie said, gesturing to Sportacus. “Poodles’ method takes too long, and with your blood sample I’ll have a better idea of where to start. So, um, don’t give up hope. I guess.” Robbie said, his confidence faltering.  
He could see Sportacus’s eyes begin to close, the tension in his body shrinking away as his mind grew cloudier with sleepiness.

The last thing Sportacus heard before he finally passed out was,  
“And if this all doesn’t work, then maybe the sedative will count as an apology for what I did to you.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Gosh dangit I try to write a non-Sportarobbie fanfic and I still end up writing cutesy/angsty stuff with those two. I swear, this is not a Sportarobbie fic, I just really suck at writing those two as not being romantically interested in each other.
> 
> Anywho, I think there's two more chapters for this story left! Things are going to be pretty intense by the end, if they aren't getting bad already.
> 
> Thank you for reading!


	7. Chapter 7

Stephanie rubbed her eyes as she finally awoke. She sighed wearily; she hadn’t gotten a wink of sleep last night. She laid back on her mattress, squinting at the blindingly bright beams of sunlight that filtered through her shades. Her dreams had been constantly interrupted by thoughts and fears concerning Sportacus, as well as his constant screaming and howling that echoed through the entire town. Granted, his cries seemed to mercifully grow silent a few minutes past midnight, but the silence only concerned Stephanie more. The silence had stirred and fueled her fearful thoughts, so she wasn’t completely sure which one was worse. Regardless, Stephanie knew she had to do something. But considering her lack of sleep, and fruitless brainstorming last night, she had come up with nothing. She continued to lay there, her attention turning towards the sound of her uncle talking to someone on the phone.  
“…well no, it’s not really a _wild_ animal. It’s well, oh dear, it’s more complicated than that.”  
…  
“I’m just looking for some advice regarding better restraining methods. The current cage isn’t holding particularly well and – “  
…  
“N-No! No, don’t send anyone out here. Please, I think that might terrify the children even more. I know it’s your job to manage wild animals, but…well this is a different situation.”  
…  
“…Y-You really believe it’s that bad? Everyone’s in severe danger?”  
…  
“Well…then maybe just one animal control agent. Just please, be discrete if you can.”

Stephanie’s heart stopped. Her uncle had just called an _animal control_ service on Sportacus. Considering he’s already hurt people and caused serious damage to the town, she knew that couldn’t end well. She sat up in her bed, trying even harder to come up with something, _anything_ , that might help her friend.  
A little tune rang out. Her phone. Stephanie clambered over to her desk and grabbed her phone. She’d gotten a text from Pixel.  
_P: Hey Steph, are you awake yet?_  
Stephanie quickly responded.  
_S: I am. What’s up?  
P: I have something I think you should see. It might be a lead as to what happened to Sportacus_.  
Stephanie’s heart lifted. Perhaps there was still a chance, as slim as it may be. Before she got dressed, she shot one more text to Pixel.  
_S: I’ll be over in five._

\--

Stephanie threw Pixel’s door open as she entered his room. The young boy was seated at his multiple computer monitors, his eyes glued to the screens. Stephanie felt some concern rise in her chest as she noted how Pixel didn’t even look towards the door when she entered.  
“Pixel?” she asked cautiously.  
The boy didn’t even respond.  
Stephanie crept closer, fear growing in her heart. She gently placed a hand on Pixel’s shoulder. “Pixel?”  
With a start, Pixel jolted awake, spooking Stephanie and nearly sending her tumbling over his sofa. She caught herself on the couch arm, breathing in deeply as she tried to calm her racing heart. Pixel, meanwhile, looked over at his friend, his eyes wide and bugged out.  
“Stephanie! Geez, you scared me!” he said a little too loudly.  
Stephanie slowly brought herself to her feet. “I’m sorry Pixel, it’s just that when I came over you didn’t even say hello! I was worried!” she said, her concern not fading as she got a better look at her friend. He seemed fairly drained, his skin a slight shade paler than usual. “Are you okay?”  
Pixel considered his response, before finally sighing. “No, I didn’t get much sleep last night. The wo – Sportacus kept me up last night.”  
Stephanie looked down sadly and nodded. “He kept me up too.”  
Pixel laid his forehead in his hand. “Man Stephanie, I just don’t know how any of this happened. And, if I gotta be honest…I’m pretty scared.” He said, his voice growing quiet. “I’ve been trying to make more of my antidote, but it’s not going well. Every time I try to make it again, something’s always wrong. The tests don’t line up, and whatever’s going on with Sportacus is evolving too fast for me to adjust the formula! I…I don’t know what to do.”  
Stephanie looked at her friend sympathetically and gave him a hug. “It’s okay Pixel, this is a lot of responsibility. Nobody knows what to do, and the fact that you tried is pretty great.”  
Pixel’s smile slowly returned, and he hugged Stephanie back. “Thanks Stephanie, you always know how to help a friend.”  
Stephanie smiled. “Hey, what are friends for?” She looked at the screen, frowning at the video file that had been pulled up. “Is that…is that from the surveillance cameras?”

Pixel’s eyes widened. “Oh! Right! This is what I wanted to show you! Come, watch this.” He said, clicking the play button on the recording.  
Stephanie cringed as she watched the muted video, seeing how Sportacus writhed and howled in his cage, his body shifting visibly even from the grainy video. She could feel her heart drop as she watched Sportacus ram his body against the bars, and how he began to chew on the metal rods as that plan failed.  
“Pixel, I don’t know if I can – “Stephanie began to say.  
“Wait for it.” Pixel said.  
Stephanie squinted at the video as a cloaked figure appeared on screen. He was offering something to Sportacus through the bars. A steak, Stephanie soon realized. She watched as the man pulled something out of his cloak, his arm reaching through the bars. She gasped as she watched Sportacus rear back and look threateningly at the cloaked man.  
“Who is that?” Stephanie asked, pointing to the stranger.  
Before Pixel could answer, the man in the video removed his cloak, unveiling the black pompadour that Stephanie recognized all too well.  
“Robbie Rotten?!” she exclaimed. She watched as Robbie jabbed Sportacus’s arm with a hypodermic needle, drawing a vial of blood. She noted how he tucked away that needle and pulled out another syringe, and how Sportacus crawled over to his knees, laying himself against the bars. Stephanie nearly cried; she couldn’t stand how in pain her friend looked. She continued to watch as Robbie smoothed the hero’s head, talking to him about something that was lost in the video only file. Eventually, she saw Robbie stand up and give one last glance at the slumbering Sportacus, before turning and walking away.

Pixel closed out of the video. “That’s why I wanted to show you this. I think Robbie might have something to do with Sportacus’s transformation.”  
Stephanie paused before nodding slowly. “We have to find him. Figure out what’s going on with Sportacus, and get him to fix him.”  
“That might be tough, Stephanie. The mayor just sent out a message asking everyone to remain inside.”  
Stephanie looked shocked. “What? Since when??”  
“Since a few minutes ago.” Answered Pixel. He pulled up his email. “See? Right there. “All LazyTown citizens are asked to stay indoors until further notice.”.” he read aloud.  
Stephanie looked towards the window at the park, seeing the top of the cage. She frowned, her brow knitted. “I’m going to go find Robbie. Notice or not, he’s our only chance. I’ll _make_ him turn Sportacus back if I have to.”  
Pixel was about to protest, but from the determined look on his friend’s face, he knew that he wouldn’t get her to change her mind. He gave a single nod. “Well, if you’re going to go out there, you’ll need protection. Hold on a minute, I’ve got some stuff you could use.”  
Pixel got up and headed towards his closet, rifling through boxes of supplies and old inventions. Grabbing a backpack, he pulled out a few choice items and laid them at the side.  
“I’ve got rope, a knife, this sonic wave projector, an apple, and a chain net. This should hopefully help you if you don’t get back inside in time.” Pixel said, piling the items inside the pack.  
Stephanie smiled. “Thanks, Pixel.”  
Pixel nodded and handed her the pack. “What are friends for?” he smiled. The smile, however, vanished quickly and was replaced by a grimmer expression. “You better promise to come back safely, okay? Promise me that?”  
Stephanie gave her friend a reassuring hug. “I promise. Cross my heart and hope to die.”  
“That’s not really that reassuring, Stephanie.”  
“You get the idea! I’ll be back soon.” Stephanie said, giving him a look, before turning and running out the door.

\--

_Noise._

_Too much noise_.

Sportacus whined and pawed at his ears. He opened a pair of yellow eyes and sniffed at the hair. A siren rang out in the distance, a small car topped with a flashing blue light rolled through the street. A voice was yelling something through a bullhorn.

“Remember, citizens of LazyTown! Please remain inside for your own safety!” repeated the man in yellow.

…Did he know who that was? Something about him felt familiar. Sportacus uttered a low growl in the man’s general direction.

_Noise, he makes noise. Must make him stop_.

Sportacus suddenly charged on all fours toward the man’s car, crashing face first into the metal bars. He howled and snapped at the bars, leaving small indentations on the metal surface. He desperately reached through the cage and clawed at the ground, like he was attempting to pull himself through the tiny spaces between the bars.

_Free, must get free_.

Sportacus crawled backwards, before charging forward again, crashing his shoulder straight into the metal bars. The bars rattled but remained in place. He backed up again, running forward and throwing his entire body weight at the cage’s wall. The bars creaked as the impact struck once more, the bars bending slightly from the force.

A growl rumbled in Sportacus’s throat as he stared down the metal bars, spotting the bend in their structure. Bending down his head, he crashed into them once more, and the bars bent even more out of place.

He howled triumphantly before he crashed into the wall again.

_Free, run free. Hunt, kill, eat._

\--

Stephanie adjusted the straps on her backpack as she tromped through the dry and tall grass, her eyes scanning the horizon for the familiar billboard that she knew sat on the outskirts of town. She shivered as a cool breeze blew past her, chilling her body and prickling her skin, awakening the goosebumps that laid dormant. Her teeth chattered, and she paused just long enough to rub her arms in a futile attempt to warm herself up even the slightest. She blew into her hands, rubbing them together. Securing some weak and fleeting sense of warmth, she continued her walk further away from town. To keep her going, she kept up her hope that maybe, perhaps, Robbie had spent all this time working on an antidote. That he cared enough about their town and Sportacus that he wouldn’t let him suffer this horrible fate, or put herself and her friends through as much danger as they’ve gone through already.

She had to believe these hopes, as weak as some of them were. The villain was literally her only chance at saving her dear friend, and she knew that all too well. She tried not to let the “what-ifs” that plagued her mind bog her down too much, as the billboard finally came into view.  
As she drew closer to the concrete foundation that supported the metal billboard, she finally noticed the rips that had been torn through the iconic cow poster, its pristine green hills shredded into feathery strips that fluttered in the cool wind, making a loud rustling sound as they did. She shuddered as she walked towards the pipe entrance, her heart stopping as she noticed the lid missing from the pipe entrance. Her eyes trailed over to the side, and she unable to suppress a gasp as she finally noticed the bent and warped cover laying lamely to the side. That cover had been made of _steel_ , yet from the way it was crumpled and torn, you’d swear that it was made of tin foil.  
Stephanie knew exactly who could’ve done such damage, and the thought only made her heart drop more. It wasn’t just her then, Sportacus had attacked at least three people in town. The fact that he bit her was enough for most animal control groups to put him down, but now that he’s attacked three people, Stephanie began to mentally plead even harder that Robbie could provide some form of solution.

On a usual day, Stephanie would’ve knocked and asked permission before entering Robbie’s lair. But she figured that this qualified as an emergency, and instead clambered down the long ladder, descending into the darkness and dank smell of the underground lair. She scrunched her nose at the sterile air and nearly yelped as a stream of steam blew past her head. How could Robbie live in a place like this?  
Carefully, Stephanie disembarked from the ladder, her shoes landing firmly against the smooth flooring of Robbie’s lair. Smoothing out her dress, Stephanie looked about, surprised to see the lair in a worse state than usual. Papers and mechanical diagrams laid unrolled across every available, flat surface, like a sort of dollar store table cloth. Robbie’s chemistry station was covered with bubbling liquids of varying color, with strange machines and instruments that Stephanie couldn’t name plugging away at different vials, mixing and turning them periodically. Plates caked with frosting and cake crumbs laid in various locations across the lair. Yet, there was no sight of the villain himself.  
Stephanie cautiously began to explore, peering at the schematics on the table. Turns out, they weren’t diagrams, but rather notes on different chemical models. Scribbled words in illegible handwriting written on the sides and corners of the paper. From what Stephanie could glean, most were notes about failed mixtures, but a few had to do with Sportacus in particular.  
“ _Three full transformations. Property damage = large scale. Lycanthrope state seems connected to moon. Theory: effect is based within magic._ ”  
Stephanie pushed aside one large ream of paper, unveiling another set of more detailed notes. She methodically read each line of notes.  
“ _Elves: Magical currents run through bodies, usually connected to crystals, but have natural magic within physical forms too. Controls athletic ability and stamina, strength, speed, and other more physical attributes. More resilient to magic-based infections and diseases generally._ ”  
She read another line.  
“ _Lycanthropy: Transferred from an infected party (usually a diseased mortal, but can be through spells, hexes, or a diseased magic folk, but rare). Interacts with natural magic currents and alters their rhythms, resulting in warped magic reactions that create wolf-like appearance and mental state. Left untreated, the lycanthropic influence will eventually permanently alter a being’s magic source, leaving them a wolf forever._ ”  
One more, this one less structured and more wandering than the other three.  
“ _Hypothesis: Sportacus = elf, thus usually unaffected by magic infections. If infected, then lycanthropy sets in, but more slowly. Sportaflop used magic = sped up spread of infection, skipped months of progression to more critical stages._ ”  
The last note had a few additions that had been scratched out, but Stephanie could at least make out the main connecting thought.  
“ _Dogification Ray 6000 = Magic???_ ”  
Stephanie paused. A dogification ray? Does…does that mean…?

“I would’ve thought that Sportachump taught you that trespassing is very rude.” A voice said gruffly.  
Stephanie jumped and nearly let out a shriek, before her eyes spotted the man emerging from the dark hallways. Her mind registered that the voice was Robbie’s, allowing her to settle down and examine the villain more closely. Though, what she saw was all to disconcerting.  
“Robbie, are you okay? You looked terrible.” Stephanie remarked bluntly.  
Robbie gave a harsh laugh. “Thanks for your honesty, Pinky.” He said curtly.  
Stephanie walked closely, looking with concern at Robbie’s face. Dark circles and bags had built up under his eyes, more than usual. His face was pale, a near ghostly and sickly white color. His usually impeccably cared for hair was messy and smooshed, with stray strands flaring off the main locks and bouncing lazily as he moved. His outfit was wrinkled and crimped, which was most unusual for a man who put so much value in his appearance.  
“Did…did Sportacus keep you up too?” Stephanie asked quietly, slowly extending a hand towards the villain.  
Robbie took a step back, stepping away from the girl’s gesture, as he scoffed. He crossed his arms over his chest and looking away. “Who hasn’t been kept up by that mangy mutt’s howling? I don’t think there’s a person in town who’s been able to sleep for the last few days. I’m definitely not an exception.”  
Stephanie bit her lip, biting back a snippy retort. She had to demonstrate at least an ounce of patience, if she wanted any hope of saving her friend. “Robbie, please, you have to help me. Or more, Sportacus needs you.”  
“I know that part already.” Robbie snapped. He rubbed at a few sores on his knuckles. “I’ve gotten a few first-hand experiences with him. He needs all the help he can get.” He said, as he walked back over to his work bench.  
“I saw the pipe hatch. Did he…?” Stephanie asked cautiously.  
“If you’re about to ask if he nearly ripped my arm off and tried to tear out my throat, then yes he  
did.” Robbie said tersely, not looking at the young girl.  
Stephanie’s face paled. She walked slowly over to the villain. “Robbie…”  
“I didn’t mean for this to happen, okay?” Robbie responded quickly, burying his face in his hands.  
Stephanie retracted. “What?”  
“I know you looked at my notes, Pinky. Figures that not only did Sportaflop not teach you about trespassing, but he also didn’t teach you about snooping.” Robbie said tiredly. He shook his head. “You know that I’m responsible for all this, and I’m trying to say I didn’t mean for this to happen. Heck, I didn’t _know_ this was a possible result. I didn’t know it would get this bad.” His fingers dug into his scalp. “I didn’t think he’d actually _attack_ people.”

Stephanie paused, mulling over her next set of words carefully. “What…what exactly is going on with Sportacus? And can you fix it?”  
Robbie sighed. “I have a theory, and that’s all. You know Sportacus is an elf, right?”  
“Of course! It honestly wasn’t that hard to figure out.”  
“Then you know that their biology isn’t the same as ours. I knew that, at least. That’s why I’m never fully sure how a lot of my inventions will work on him, because I don’t exactly have much of a basis to test on.” He picked up a piece of black metal from the table. “So, I tune much of my inventions with a smidge of magic. I know enough about magic to know how to temper with a person’s natural magic rhythm to alter their physical and mental states. That’s how I was able to turn him into a kid or erase his memories beforehand. They’re…they’re kind of casting mini spells if that helps.”  
Stephanie approached the bench, looking over the multitudes of notes once more. “Then, what were you originally trying to do to Sportacus?”  
“Turn him into a dog. I thought Zippy would adopt him or something.” Robbie said with a chuckle. His smile faded and he handed Stephanie a small, plastic dial. “I found this on the ground two days after the wolf first appeared. That’s how I knew what possibly went wrong. My Dogification Ray 6000 has a power system. The greater the power, the larger the dog. It fell off when it fired at Sportacus, so logically…”

“It turned him into a wolf?”  
Robbie shrugged. “I mean, by magic, it was logical. I didn’t know why it didn’t permanently turn him into a wolf though until I read up on elf magic biology.”  
“And they’re more resilient to magic curses?”  
“Bingo.” Robbie responded. “That’s why at first Sportacus would change back and forth. His natural magic patterns were clashing with the influence of my Doginator.”  
“And why only at night?”  
“A mixture of the elf being more tired at that point, thus his body was less capable of fighting off the foreign magic curse, and the moon strengthening curses.”  
“Of course.” Answered Stephanie quietly, still taking in all the new information.  
Robbie threw up a hand exasperatedly. “I would’ve had more time to formulate an antidote if Sportadummy hadn’t decided to mess around with herbal incantations. Using lavender might’ve worked, but it looks like he accidentally targeted the wrong magic pulse. Instead of weakening the foreign magic, he weakened his own. Thus…”  
“…the gradual change.” Stephanie said near silently.  
Robbie nodded. “And that’s why we have to hurry. The Doginator’s influence penetrates both the body and mind over time, as I’ve come to learn. If we don’t cure him by tonight, he’ll be trapped as a huge, blood-thirsty wolf forever.”  
Stephanie gasped, cupping a hand over her mouth. She shook her head in denial, tears forming in her eyes.  
Robbie’s face paled. “I mean, I have something that might work. D-Don’t start crying, okay? I’m not good with that sort of thing.” He picked up the Dogification Ray 6000. “I recalibrated this thing so it’ll strengthen Sportacus’s magic rhythm again and, hopefully, kill off the lycanthropy in his system. All we need to do is get him to stay still long enough for the ray to do its work.”  
“And it’ll work?” Stephanie asked.  
Robbie stopped. He looked away and sighed. “Y-Yeah, it should.”  
Stephanie placed a hand on Robbie’s arm. “He’ll forgive you, I’m sure about it. So will everyone else.”  
Robbie scoffed. “I’m not worried about THAT, Pinky.”  
“Just in case you are.”  
Robbie’s bravado shrunk. He looked away once more. “Thanks, Stephanie.”  
Stephanie gave Robbie a warm smile.

A techno tune broke through the atmosphere of the lair.

Stephanie nearly jumped, before collecting herself and pawing through her backpack. She pulled out her tablet, making an “S” motion on the screen to answer the call.  
“Hello?” she asked.  
“S-Stephanie! Where are you?? Why aren’t you back at home?” asked her uncle.  
Stephanie cringed. “Um, I went out for a walk. I’m with Robbie right now. I’m fine.”  
Mayor Meanswell sighed a slight sigh of relief. “Well, at least you’re somewhere safe and sound.”  
Stephanie gave a reassuring smile. “I’ll be back home soon, we’re just finishing up a talk and – “  
Mayor Meanswell’s eyes widened. “No! Stephanie, you need to stay put right now. Whatever you do, don’t go outside!”  
Stephanie then noticed how sweaty her uncle’s brow was, as well as the flashing lights in the background.  
“Uncle, what’s going on?” she asked nervously. “Is something wrong with Sportacus?”  
Mayor Meanswell tried to calm himself before he answered.  
“It’s gotten really bad, Stephanie. The animal control units came and they tried to reason with him after I told them he’s our town hero and definitely _not_ an animal. But…but he attacked them! He wouldn’t listen to any of us! He didn’t seem to recognize me!”  
Stephanie looked at Robbie, whose face reflected a grave expression. She curled her lip inward.  
“Well, we might have something to help him, Uncle. Just give us a few minutes and we’ll be back on the surface! We’ll go to the park, and we can reason with him instead!”  
“Stephanie no, you don’t understand.” Mayor Meanswell responded, his face growing paler and his body starting to shake.  
“He isn’t in the park anymore. Sportacus escaped.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the cliffhanger! And sorry for how long it's taken me to update this fic. Tbh it's been hard for me lately to write for this one, but I'm still determined to finish it! I'd say there's about 1-2 more chapters before this one concludes. I hope you all have been enjoying it so far!
> 
> Thank you for reading!


	8. Chapter 8

There were people all around him.

Too many people. All very _loud_.

They were talking to each other, a few in more hushed tones. The man in yellow stood apart from them, his hands out and apart as he slowly inched his way towards Sportacus.

“N-Now, don’t worry. These men are here to help you. They know much more about…what happened to you than anyone else in LazyTown. So, if you could just hold still and let them help you, that would be most appreciated! D-Do you think you could do that?” the yellow man asked nervously.

Sportacus’s ear twitched at the sound of rustling fabric. He turned his head, immediately seeing a long, metal pole with something sharp and shiny being thrust into his space. He leapt back, barking and growling furiously at the foreign object. The man froze, his reach retracting as Sportacus continued to snap and bark at his presence.

One of the men approached the yellow man.  
“Mayor Meanswell, if what you told us is true, then I’m not sure that our usual tactics will work here. We deal with wild animals every day, and personally I’ve handled and wrangled plenty of wolves over my career. But if I’m to believe what you told us, that that _beast_ used to be a human like us – “  
“Well, n-not quite human.” Corrected the yellow man.  
“…regardless, this just, well, is out of our league. We’ve never seen anything like this.” The man admitted.  
“Well, um, perhaps you could just help move him to a more secure location. Something sturdier, perhaps, until we figure out a way to fix… _this_.” the yellow man said, gesturing to Sportacus.  
The man nodded and snapped his fingers, ushering his friends to close in on Sportacus, looped catch poles and pointed rods at the ready.

Sportacus’s ears lowered as he growled, backing slowly against the bars of his cage. He bunched his body up to make himself smaller, his hackles raising and his eyes shrinking. He bared his teeth at the men, willing them to go away.

_Bad men, will hurt me. Go away. Don’t want you here._

The yellow man stepped forward, saying something to the men that made them back off with their poles. A single ear popped up as the yellow man addressed Sportacus once more.

“Please Sportacus, just cooperate. These men don’t want to hurt you! They just want to take you someplace a little safer. That way you won’t hurt yourself or anyone else!” he said, his cheery tone failing as he registered his words. “Oh my, I…I didn’t say that aloud, did I?”

Sportacus? The name jogged something deep with Sportacus’s mind, but he didn’t know why. The name was distant and foreign, something he knew held significance but he was without context. All he knew, however, was that it made his head hurt. Trying to ignore the pain, his eyes shot over to the weakened cage wall, its bars still bent out of shape. He stopped growling as he remembered the work he’d done on the bars. One more push, and they’d pop out of their holds.

Sportacus slowly walked away from the corner, his tail still tucked low, his eyes trained upon the men with their loop poles. He pawed around his cage, his eyes never trailing away from the men. He watched as their guards lowered, the poles dropping down as they seemed to grow impatient. Finally, Sportacus stopped. Without warning, he whipped around and threw himself once more against the weakened bars. The metal groaned and was wrenched even further out of place. One more strike. The men and the man in yellow were yelling loudly.

_Noise. Yelling. Freedom._

Sportacus barked and tossed himself at the bars one last time, ignoring the pricking against his skin from the men’s poles. And with it, the cage wall finally buckled. Sportacus came spilling out of the cage, rolling himself back into an upright position, his claws digging into the fresh dirt. The men and the yellow man froze, and Sportacus could smell the fear pouring from their bodies. He sniffed the air, and he lowered his ears as he growled. Baring his teeth once more, he watched the men’s stances change from aggressive to evasive. The power dynamics had shifted, and Sportacus was finally in control.

_Prey. Hunt. Kill._

\--

As Stephanie ended the call, she laid her tablet back into her backpack, her hands trembling. She sucked down a choked breath. Closing her eyes, she tried her best to steady herself. So, the worst-case scenario had happened. Sportacus had escaped, he was violent, and given their short time limit to save him tracking him down would make everything at least ten times harder. She tried not to let her thoughts trail over towards her friends and her uncle in the town, their defenses far too frail to protect themselves against a bloodthirsty and violent wolf. She shook her head to clear the thoughts of broken walls and high-pitched screams. Breathing a sigh through her nose, she turned to face Robbie.  
“So, we just have to find him. Do you have a plan?” she asked.  
Robbie gave her a look as he slung the altered Dogification Ray over his shoulder. “Of course, I do. Track down Sportacus, figure out a way to capture him, then blast him with my reverse Dogification Ray. If luck is on my side, this will go by with relatively few scars and I can get back in time to watch my programs.” He said with a weak laugh.  
Stephanie leapt up to her feet, slinging her backpack onto her back as she walked over, giving him a determined look. “Leave the restraining part to me! I’ve got some rope here in my pack – “  
“When did I say you were coming along?” Robbie interrupted, raising an eyebrow.  
Stephanie’s expression dropped. “I…I thought it was a given!”  
“Look kid, I may be a villain, but I’m not evil enough to purposefully endanger a kid’s life, and especially not one of Sportaflop’s little charges. You’re going to stay right here until I get the elf back to normal.” Robbie said firmly.  
Stephanie frowned. “You can’t do this alone though! I-If Sportacus has really gotten that bad, then we need to work together!”  
“Don’t you think one life threatening encounter with Sportawolf was enough for you, Pinky?” Robbie snapped.  
Stephanie looked hurt, her face paling as she remembered the sleepless nights plagued by nightmares.   
Robbie’s face softened, and he sighed. “It’s just best that you stay here, okay? You’ve been through enough and I have to fix this alone. It’s my fault this happened in the first place, so I need to be the one to fix it.” He took a step back. “I’ll, uh, call you once it’s over.”  
Stephanie looked pleadingly at the villain. “Robbie, no! If you go alone, you’ll die! I won’t let that happen!” she said, as she ran towards him.  
Raising his hand, he gravely muttered, “Then consider it karma.”, as he snapped his fingers, vanishing in a puff of smoke.

Stephanie ran straight into the cloud, waving away the plumes of mist that smelled like cupcakes and cashmere, uttering a few coughs. As the smoke settled, Stephanie realized she was left alone.

\--

Robbie rematerialized in the streets surrounding the sport park. He forced his eyes shut for a moment as a wave of nausea nearly overtook him. It’d been a while since he last teleported, and his body was doing a fantastic job of reminding him of that fact. He sucked in a deep breath, exhaling as he finally opened his eyes. He glanced down the street, and his heart nearly stopped as he took in the sight.  
Already the damage done by Sportacus was apparent. Several streetlamps had been bent out of shape, their lights hung over and pointing straight at the ground. Gravel and dirt had been tracked across the street, with thin white lines grounded into the asphalt. A tree had been knocked over, its branches splayed out over the sidewalk and splintered pieces of wood littered the streets. Part of Ms. Busybody’s pristine fence had been busted and broken. Claw marks were embedded in the brick walls. Robbie walked past an annihilated bench, its metal legs curled and pointing up towards the sky like the springs of a torn mattress. He peered down at the ground, and he nearly fainted as he spotted a small trail of blood drops staining the gray-white concrete. A shiver rushed his body. He swung the Dogification Ray around and into his hands. He gripped its handle tightly; he’d need to be ready for Sportacus to appear at any moment.  
As he walked down the street, circling the park, multiple flashes of blue light caught his attention. He looked over, his face growing whiter as he noticed the toppled animal control car, its door ripped off its hinges and laying lamely on the ground. All this damage told Robbie one thing: Sportacus probably wasn’t in a reasonable state, and thus he should be ready for a fight. Robbie cursed as he felt around his pockets. He hadn’t brought anything to restraint Sportacus with. He considered for a moment teleporting back to his lair, but remembering how insistent Stephanie had been to join him, and how he just barely missed teleporting both by accident, he realized that wasn’t an option. Even if this didn’t work, he wanted to at least say he kept the little pink girl safe.

He heard something rustle in the bushes next to him. Robbie jumped on guard, pointing the Dogification Ray straight at the bush. It rustled again. He stepped cautiously forward, his eyes focused on the shrubbery. As he drew closer, he saw the tips of a pair of human hands. He lowered his rifle, his guard lessening as he realized that it wasn’t who he was looking for. Just one of the animal control workers.  
He nearly yelped as he was suddenly yanked down to the ground by the cowering worker. He narrowly avoided accidentally firing the Dogification Ray as his side hit the grass and a finger was pressed against his lips.  
“Are you nuts?! What’re you doing walking out in the open?? That thing will spot you in a second!” she hissed.  
Robbie brushed away the worker’s hand. “So, Sportacus is nearby?”  
The woman nodded nervously. “He’s been circling the same patch of grass for a while now. I don’t…I’ve never…what IS he? I’ve seen rabid wolves before, but this…”  
“He’s not a rabid wolf.” Robbie corrected her. He peeked over the top of the bush, its leaves tickling his nose. Still no sight of Sportacus.  
“Then what is he?” asked the worker.  
Robbie bit his bottom lip. “He’s…he’s in pain. He’s in pain, lost, and confused. That’s what he is.” He finally noted.  
The woman frowned, clearly disappointed with the answer. She looked up at Robbie. “You’re not planning on going after that thing, are you?”  
Robbie looked at the woman, frowning at her usage of “that thing”. “No, I just felt like a stroll in the park while a bloodthirsty animal is running about. What do you think?”  
The woman gave him a look and pulled him back down to the ground. “Look, I have no clue what you’re thinking of doing, but I’m just going to tell you that you should go home now. That…that _monster_. He attacked my friends and me. I just barely got away with my life, and even then,” she said, pulling up her pant leg, revealing a painful looking set of bite marks. Robbie cringed. “I didn’t get away unscathed.”  
“Where are your friends now?” asked Robbie.  
The sound of nails clicking against cement made the woman’s face go ghostly white. Shakily, she pointed in the direction of the noise. Robbie sat up, and had to repress the urge to gasp aloud.

Sportacus had finally appeared, walking across the park on all fours. Not a single semblance of the elf’s usual features remained; Had Robbie not know it was Sportacus to begin with, he would’ve assumed that it was just a larger than average wolf. He was dragging an animal control worker with him, the man’s shirt caught between Sportacus’s teeth. Robbie felt his heart stop as he noticed the thin trail of blood that followed them both. No…he couldn’t have…could he?  
A sputtering and a groan from the worker luckily disproved Robbie’s worst fears, as the worker tried to dig his heels into the ground weakly.  
Sportacus stopped and growled, staring at the worker with his cold, inhuman eyes. The worker froze and whimpered, his hand grasping at a set of gashes near his stomach.  
Robbie tore himself away from just staring at Sportacus and the wounded man as he stood up tall, a frown affixed to his face. He lifted up the Dogification Ray, training it right at Sportacus’s chest.  
“Hey Sportamutt! Drop him!” Robbie shouted.  
Sportacus’s attention immediately snapped over to the villain. Robbie’s composure faltered as he stared straight into Sportacus’s yellow eyes. He tried to still his trembling hands as Sportacus dropped the grip he had on the man’s shirt. Growling lowly, he slowly crept towards the lanky man.

\--

Sportacus had finally driven away or caught all the men. He’d torn apart their pointy sticks that hurt him, and he’d collected a fine hunt for the night. Of course, he wasn’t done yet. He could still feel the instinct digging at his thoughts, and he knew there were a few he missed. He’d root out and chase the others in a minute. First, he needed to get this one to his den.

But something was shouting at him. He looked at saw a taller one, pointing something that he didn’t know at him. He called him by that name, just like the yellow man before. And just like before, it made something in the back of his mind ache. Like a memory just barely out of reach. It only made him hungrier and angrier.

This prey was bigger than the others. No matter, it’d make this hunt much more challenging.

\--

Robbie couldn’t stop himself from taking a step back as the wolf Sportacus crawled closer. He cleared his throat, pulling the sight up to his eye. He aimed the barrel straight at Sportacus, his finger hovering over the trigger.  
“Just stay right there, Sportawolf.” Robbie muttered. He nearly jumped as Sportacus uttered a rough bark. Collecting himself, he readjusted his aim. “Don’t get any closer.” He begged quietly. He cringed as he pulled the trigger.  
A bright, vibrant orange light spilled from the barrel, striking Sportacus in the middle of his forehead. He yelped and leapt out of the beam’s way, rolling across the ground as Robbie tried to keep the laser focused on Sportacus. Sportacus rolled back onto his fours and bolted across the ground, aiming himself at the retaining wall behind Robbie. The woman gasped as Sportacus bounded against the wall, springing himself forward by pushing himself off the wall with his hind legs. With his arms outstretched, Sportacus’s claws contacted Robbie, knocking him backwards and down to the ground.  
Robbie cried out in pain as he felt the claws dig into his shoulders, and gasped as the wind was knocked out of him from the impact. With nothing to lose, he pulled his legs back and kicked Sportacus straight in the gut, sending him tumbling forwards with a whine and a yelp. Robbie scrambled for the rifle as Sportacus brought himself back upright, barking furiously as he charged at Robbie once more. Robbie stumbled onto his feet and made a break for it, dragging his Dogification Ray behind him as he ran, with Sportacus close on his heels.

He could feel his lungs burn and his ears ring as he sprinted across the park, running faster than he ever had in his life. Tears rolled down his face as he heard Sportacus’s barking and howls grow louder. He swerved around a corner, hoping to lose the wolf, only to see Sportacus skid across the ground and bound towards him once more. Robbie knew it was only a matter of time before Sportacus would catch up and he’d be finished. Turning around, he began to run backwards. He pointed the rifle at Sportacus once more and pulled the trigger, the bright orange light striking him again.   
Sportacus reared up and howled, launching himself forward and throwing Robbie down against the concrete, the Dogification Ray skidding across the ground and away from Robbie’s hands.  
Robbie felt his head smack against the sidewalk, his vision blacking out momentarily before returning a minute later. As he regained his sight, the first thing he saw was the pair of yellow eyes staring straight at him. The second thing he saw was the pearly white fangs, with splotches of red, being bared at him, drool dripping from Sportacus’s jaw.  
His fingers dug around feverishly at the space around him. He turned his head, spotting the rifle laying underneath a bench, far too far away for him to grab. Slowly, he looked back up at Sportacus, whose clenched jaw was opening slowly.  
He tried to fight or push Sportacus off him again, but from a mixture of his own weariness coupled with Sportacus putting all his body weight down on his arms and legs, it was a futile effort. Everything soon dawned on Robbie. This was it. This was how he was going to die. The victim of his own villainous handiwork. He couldn’t even laugh at how ironically tragic the situation was. No, he only felt fear and guilt. Guilt over forcing such a horrible fate onto his, albeit, nemesis, leaving him unrecognizable and stripped of his memories and personality. Guilt over leaving LazyTown and all its inhabitants in mortal danger. Fear over the pain he knew he was about to feel in the next minute.  
Looking up at Sportacus, tears in his eyes, he softly said, “I am so sorry, Sportacus.” He closed his eyes as he accepted his fate.

Sportacus growled, then jolted forward, aiming his teeth at Robbie’s neck.

\--

Stephanie paced around the lair, knocking away boxes of random junk and discarded inventions as she searched for a way out. She knew there had to be multiple exits to his lair; she just needed to find them. But as time passed, she found herself coming up empty. She sighed as she searched the same corner for the fifth time. In frustration, she kicked the dark metal wall, eliciting a sharp _bang_ that reverberated through Robbie’s home. She sniveled as she leaned her forehead against the cool wall. She hated feeling this helpless. Both of her friends (at least, she hoped both were her friends) were up above, one without memory of who he was, the other in definite danger of being ripped to shreds. And she couldn’t do a thing. She dug her fingers at the metal. She turned around and sunk down to the ground, pulling her legs up into her chest. She leaned down into her lap, trying hard not to think of the danger everyone was in. There was no way out, and nothing she could do. It was hopeless.

A muffled and weak chirp echoed in the base. The sound was familiar to her. Stephanie lifted her head slowly as another chirp rang out. She furrowed her brow and drug herself onto her feet. For a split second, she saw the underside of a stack of papers glow a faint blue. Her eyes widened. She dashed over to the workbench, throwing aside the notes, digging through the sea of paper. The chirping and flashing grew louder and brighter as she sifted through the papers. Finally, her fingers met with metal. She pulled up the source of the noise. Sportacus’s crystal holder.   
She gasped. She remembered how her uncle had said that they couldn’t find Sportacus’s crystal in the remains of his uniform, and Sportacus couldn’t remember what happened to it. Had Robbie kept it for safe keeping? Or, though Stephanie didn’t want to consider it, something more devious?  
An idea crossed her mind. Sportacus had told her that the last time his memory was erased, his crystal had reminded him of who he was. What…what if it would work again?  
She wasted no time stuffing his beeping and flashing crystal into her backpack. Filled with determination once more, she continued to seek out another way to the surface. She pawed around at the walls, looking for an indentation or space. She ran her hands against the smooth, metal surface, stopping as her fingers caught on something slightly out of alignment. She pressed against the metal panel, and the wall slipped open, revealing a rusted, barely stable ladder that led up to the surface.

Stephanie grinned. Of course, how could she have forgotten? There’s always a way.

She clambered up the ladder in record time, and as she reached the top, she forced the door open, feeling the cool air hit her face. She pulled herself up and out into the open air, being surprised as she found this entrance opened right in the middle of the street. She gasped as she saw the toppled animal control car. She was definitely in the right place. Scrambling to her feet, she ran towards the park, seeing the trail of destruction lead in that direction. She froze as a sharp bark rang through the silence. Swinging her backpack around to her front, she dug out the sports crystal and the sonic wave projector. A flash of orange light sent her running towards the large wall in the middle of the park. That had to be Robbie. She sped up as she heard something metallic hit the ground. Once she’d finally reached them, she skidded to a halt in horror as she saw Sportacus, now a full wolf, pin Robbie to the ground.   
“I am so sorry Sportacus.” Robbie said softly.  
Stephanie fumbled for the sonic wave projector and aimed it straight at Sportacus just as he opened his jaw, preparing to rip out Robbie’s throat.

As Sportacus was mere inches away from Robbie’s neck, Stephanie pulled the trigger.

\--

Sportacus’s eyes shot wide open as a high-pitched screech filled the air. He yelped and whined, leaping off Robbie as he clasped his paws around his ears.

_LOUD, LOUD HURTS. MAKE IT STOP_

He howled as his tail dragged under him. The noise soon began to die out, and Sportacus could refocus his attention. His attention shot straight towards a younger one, dressed in pink, who was aiming a metal thing like the tall man’s right at him. He snarled and growled.

“Sportacus, please. You have to remember who you are!” she begged.

Another one? Sportacus’s ears flopped back as he whined upsettably. Three of them now called him that name. Why…WHY couldn’t he remember it? He knew that, somehow, it referred to him, but why? What did it mean?

“D-Do you remember this? You must remember this!” she cried, and held up something small and metal.

It flashed a bright blue and chirped in alarm.

And instantly, the pins and needles feeling in Sportacus’s mind intensified. He howled and let out a strangled noise that was neither animal or human as he buried his head into his chest. The flashing and beeping only grew more intense, however, as Sportacus reeled against the memory. And the more intense it got, the more pain he felt. Sportacus dug at the agonizing, vice-like pain in his head, burying his claws into his skull. But it did nothing to stop the beeping and flashing. In fact, now it was nearly shrieking.

Sportacus continued to writhe and whine pathetically as he tried repeatedly to dig out the pain, succeeding only in drawing blood and intensifying the metal thing’s shrieking and flashing.

\--

Stephanie looked in horror as Sportacus curled more into a ball, his body trembling and his movements growing more strangled and uncontrolled. She shot a pleading look at Robbie.  
“Robbie! Get the Dogification Ray! Turn him back before he hurts himself anymore!” she begged.  
Robbie nodded quickly and threw himself onto his feet. He sprinted behind Sportacus and slid across the ground, fishing the rifle from underneath the bench. Fumbling with it in his hands, he aimed the gun and fired it at Sportacus once more, the orange beam funneling straight into his back.   
Sportacus yowled as the burning beam shot straight into his body. Between the shrieking of the metal device the little one held and the burning laser, Sportacus was drowning in painful tugs at his body and mind. He needed to get them to stop. NOW. Turning around, he swung his paw wildly, connecting with the barrel of the rifle. Robbie cried out as the rifle was yanked from his grip, and he could only watch in horror and helplessness as the gun was shattered against the wall.  
“NO!” Robbie cried as he frantically ran over to the splintered remnants of his Dogification Ray. He shakily sorted through the pieces, but it was no use. The gun was broken beyond repair. His one hope for healing Sportacus was gone.

With one source of pain gone, Sportacus turned his attention towards Stephanie, who froze as her eyes met his.  
She lifted the sonic wave projector once more, pulling its trigger again. The shrill screech filled the air once more, sending Sportacus’s paws up towards his ears. He growled and roared, his focus fixating on the gun in Stephanie’s hands. Snarling, he dropped his hands, barreling towards the young girl, his jaw gaped open.  
Stephanie screamed, turning on her heel and bolting the opposite direction. She tripped over a rock, the sonic wave projector slipping from her grip. Before she could get herself up again, she shrieked as she felt Sportacus’s jaws snap tight on her ankle. She cried and dug her palms into the ground as Sportacus began to drag her closer, his jaws releasing her ankle only to bite down on her calf. Without thinking, Stephanie threw off her pack, its contents spilling out onto the sidewalk. The knife fell right by her fingertips. Her face paled, and she glanced down at Sportacus apologetically. With not a moment to lose, she snatched the knife and pointed it straight at Sportacus. He snarled at the threat and brought his paw up, preparing to claw into her chest. Forcing her eyes shut, Stephanie threw herself into an upright position swung blindly at Sportacus, feeling the knife contact the side of his head. She opened her eyes as she heard Sportacus yelp and whine in pain. She scrabbled out of his reach and flinched as she watched blood ooze from his sliced ear. She frantically threw the spilled items back into her pack, leaving only the chain net out. Unfolding it, she tossed it over Sportacus, who immediately began to buck and writhe under its hold. She tried to slow her breathing down. She knew that net wouldn’t hold him, but hopefully it’d give her enough time to reach Robbie. Giving one last look at her friend, Stephanie limped down the sidewalk back towards the wall.

Falling to her knees in front of Robbie, she gasped in horror as she saw the shattered remains of the Dogification Ray.   
“No…” she said, her voice trembling as the implication dawned on her.  
Robbie looked up at her sadly. He looked on the verge of breaking.  
“I guess we’re out of luck, Pinky.” He said with a weak laugh. He looked back down at the rifle’s remains. He plucked out the vial of antidote from the pile, its container still full of orange, pulsing liquid.   
“We have to do _something_. We…I won’t leave him like that. It’s either we heal him, or…” Stephanie said, her voice going silent as she choked back a sob.  
Robbie furrowed his brow and shook his head. “We’re not going to let that happen, Stephanie. We’ve gotten this close already, we’re not going to give up.”  
He sifted through the metal pieces. From the pieces, he picked out one jagged shard that seemed to have a plug attached to it. His eyes widened; he recognized that particular part. Carefully, he inserted the antidote vial to the plug, his face brightening as he watched the jagged shard pulse and glow with orange light. Stephanie’s eyes grew and glittered.  
“Not an ideal solution, but this might work. We just need him to stay put long enough.” Robbie noted.   
Stephanie smiled. “I threw a net over him a moment ago! If we hurry, we can get him the antidote and – “  
  
A growl interrupted her thoughts.

\--

_Pain. Shrieking. Blue and orange light. Bleeding._

_His prey had attacked him. Hurt him. They must pay._

_Prey. Hunt. Kill._

\--

Both Stephanie and Robbie turned slowly, facing the now enraged wolf that stood a few feet away from him, blood dripping from both sides of his head. His teeth were bared, and his chest rose and fell with labored breaths.  
“Robbie?” asked Stephanie fearfully.  
“Run.” Urged Robbie in a hushed voice.  
Both took off running in the opposite direction. Seeing his prey start running, Sportacus howled and bolted after them. The hunt was on again.  
Stephanie lagged as they sprinted, bolts of searing hot pain flooding her injured leg. She fought back tears as she tried to keep up. She looked over her shoulder for a split second, seeing Sportacus gaining on her. With a whimper, she bore through the pain, speeding up her pace.  
Robbie looked behind him, noticing Stephanie struggled to keep up the pace. He knew Sportacus would catch up in a matter of moments unless he acted now. Without thinking, he bolted off to the side, plucking a rock off the ground and chucking it at Sportacus. It beaned him right between the eyes, causing him to stop and turn towards the villain. His face burned with fury, a loud, rumbling growl and hiss escaping his mouth.  
Stephanie froze, and looked Robbie right in the eyes. He gave her an apologetic look as he prepared his makeshift knife. Time seemed to freeze in that moment. In a split second, she pulled her backpack off her back and yanked out the rope. She gasped as she watched Sportacus rear back, preparing to launch himself right at Robbie. Robbie pulled his arm back, readying his swing. Sportacus leapt forward, his claws aimed at Robbie’s chest. They struck straight at his shirt, pushing Robbie backwards over a small dividing wall as he swung the shard down, embedding it deep into Sportacus’s shoulder blade. Robbie landed first, his back hitting the ground with an echoing _thud_ as Sportacus landed on top of him. Howling in pain and anger, Sportacus dug his claws into Robbie’s chest, leaving long gashes in his torso. Robbie tried to wiggle and struggle out of his grip, but Sportacus had pinned him once more.

Fashioning a messy lasso, Stephanie dashed right past Sportacus, tossing the loop around his ankle. With a tug, she secured it, and threw her body weight in the opposite direction. She pulled and tugged, managing to drag Sportacus backwards by only an inch. With her free hand, she snatched the apple out of her backpack and took a huge bite. Feeling the energy flow through her tired body, she grunted and yanked more, dragging the frenzied wolf away from Robbie.  
Robbie could only watch in stunned silence as Sportacus was dragged backwards, his claws wildly striking against the dirt and concrete, leaving white grooves in the cement wall as his body was tugged against it. Sportacus whined and screeched as wave after wave of orange light pulsed through his body, stiffening his movements and flooding his brain. Robbie slowly drug himself into an upright position, seeing Stephanie fight and tug against the pull of the beast. He wanted to help her, but knew that if he tried to run and help her pull, Sportacus would bolt straight at both of them and, without the reverse momentum, surely pin them both.

So, Robbie stayed put, for several minutes, watching Sportacus fight and writhe against the surprisingly sturdy rope snare. Soon enough, Robbie noticed Sportacus’s lashing and fighting slow, his eyes fluttering closed. He groaned and let out a quiet whine, as he finally gave into the antidote’s influence and collapsed onto the ground. Stephanie held onto the rope for a minute longer, watching to make sure Sportacus didn’t suddenly wake up and charge at Robbie. After it seemed like he’d fallen unconscious, Stephanie let go of the rope and ran towards Robbie.   
“Are you okay?” she asked worriedly, gasping as she saw the long and deep gashes dug into his chest.  
Robbie gave a harsh laugh. “Never better.” He quipped, even as his vision wavered and tilted.  
Stephanie knelt down and dug through her backpack, pulling out a small first aid kit. She picked out some antiseptic wipes and started dabbing around Robbie’s injuries.  
He flinched. “Uh, Pinky, I think these’ll require medical attention, not some dinky alcohol wipes. A for effort though.” He said with a weakly joking tone.  
Stephanie bit her lip, nodding. “You look really pale.” She said.  
“I’m not much of a sun person.” Robbie responded, his voice growing quieter.  
“Robbie.”  
“I’m fine, just dealing with some blood loss.” Robbie said with a dazed look, his eyes growing unfocused.

Before Stephanie could protest or more loudly worry, her attention was caught by a sizzling and hissing noise behind her. Robbie and Stephanie looked towards the unconscious wolf, watching in awe as steam poured from his body, cloaking his form and leaving it invisible. Tall plumes of steam streamed up into the sky, the hissing sound growing louder and louder. Finally, as the noise died down, a wind picked up and blew the steam away. In the wolf’s place, laid Sportacus, his soaked blonde hair glistening in the moonlight.  
“Sportacus…” Stephanie gasped. She looked at Robbie, who ushered her towards him. Stephanie dashed to Sportacus’s side, rolling him onto his back. She cringed as she examined the multiple wounds across his body. She pressed two fingers against his neck. He felt so cold.  
“Oh no…” Stephanie said near silently, tears building in her eyes once more.  
Suddenly, Sportacus’s body jolted as he gasped. Sportacus coughed and laid weakly on the ground, his chest rising and falling in a steady rhythm.  
He looked up, eyes half-lidded at her. "H-Hey, Stephanie..." he said, his voice cracking and rough.  
Stephanie gave a laugh in relief. She looked back at Robbie, tears rolling down her cheeks. “You did it, Robbie. You saved him.” She said joyously.

Robbie gave a wavering smile. “Glad I was able to help.” He said with a laugh, before his vision blacked out and he lost consciousness.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> One. More. Chapter. Then this fic will finally be done. Again, sorry it's taken so long to get to this point. Not sure how I feel about how this chapter turned out, but I hope you all enjoyed it regardless!
> 
> Thank you for reading!


	9. Chapter 9

The first thing Sportacus saw when he awoke was the bright, artificial lights that shone above him.

He blinked at their harshness, feeling the soupy, thick fog that his brain currently swam in. Now, the idea of a ceiling was a little hard to stomach, so he closed his eyes once more. But he couldn’t fall back asleep. His throat and mouth felt so dry, and it felt like knives were jutting out of his stomach. His arms protested as he raised a hand to his eyes, rubbing them clear. He groaned, recoiling at the sandpaper feeling of his tongue. He flinched as he lowered his arm, a sharp pain lancing up into his shoulder. He sank his head into his pillow, just then feeling a weight shift the balance of the bed.

He wearily glanced up, finally spotting the sleepy-eyed man that sat there.  
“R-Robbie?” he asked, his voice hoarse and near-gone.  
Robbie looked over, his eyes wide with anticipation and nervousness. He gave a weak smile. “Hey, Sportadummy.”  
Sportacus tried to lift himself up into a sitting position, cringing as a sharp pain raced from his shoulder. He looked at the villain, noticing how his arms were loosely crossed over his chest, and how he wasn’t dressed in his usual vest and trousers. Instead, an ill-fitting hospital gown adorned his body, and his hair was a mess of loose curls.  
“Where…where are we?” Sportacus asked weakly.  
“We’re in a hospital.” Robbie answered, trying to remain as calm as possible. He glanced over at the hero’s form. “How do you feel?”  
“Like I got run over by a truck.” Sportacus responded.  
Robbie held back a chuckle as he considered his next question. “So, you don’t feel anything, I don’t know, out of the ordinary? Nothing at all?”  
“Other than pain, no.”  
Robbie sighed in relief. “Good, maybe the antidote worked then. With how little there was I was worried...” he mumbled to himself.  
“What was that?” Sportacus asked nervously.  
Robbie looked up at hero. “Nothing for you to worry about right now.” He said.  
Sportacus bit his lip. He shifted his sitting position, resulting in him gasping in pain as he adjusted his arm. He glanced to his shoulder. His face went white as he examined the copious amounts of gauze and bandages that covered it. He raised a hand to his head, feeling the same bandages that felt rough against his forehead. He looked at Robbie with panic. “Robbie…what happened?”  
Robbie looked at him with surprise. “You don’t remember?” He sat forward. “Or, I guess I should ask, do you remember anything from last night?”  
Sportacus glanced down, trying his hardest to remember…anything. Anything from the last day, but nothing was coming to mind. He looked up at Robbie worriedly.  
“I…nothing. I can’t remember anything.” Sportacus admitted.  
Robbie bit his lip, sighing with a nod. “I expected. Look, we can talk about this later. It’s going to be a lot to take, trust me. So, just try and rest and – “  
Robbie froze as Sportacus grabbed his arm.  
“Robbie, please, tell me what happened. Is…is everyone all right?” he asked. He glanced down at Robbie’s hospital gown. “…are you all right?”  
The villain cringed, and sat closer to the edge. He ran a hand through his hair, his eyes turning up to the ceiling as he thought through his words. “Everyone…everyone is okay. They’re here. Well, not all here. Stephanie is, and a few others – “

“How many are a few, Robbie?” asked Sportacus firmly.  
Robbie stopped, his expression growing graver. “At least eight, not including you and I.”  
Sportacus shuddered. His face was completely white by this point. “I hurt them, didn’t I?” he asked. He waited for Robbie’s response. When he didn’t respond for several minutes, he looked at him more seriously. “Robbie.”  
“Sportacus, this really doesn’t seem like a good idea. You’re still recovering and this…this won’t help you. I know, unbelievable, I want to help you. But I think we should table this for now - “  
“Robbie, **please**.” Sportacus begged, tears welling in his eyes now. “I need to know.”

Robbie gulped. He sighed as he answered. “I don’t know all the parts of the story. When I had arrived, you’d already fully turned into a wolf and had attacked the mayor and the animal control workers. You dragged six of them across the park after chasing them down, apparently. One gal managed to get away, but was still hurt. Two had some scratches around their face and chest, along with some puncture wounds on their ankles. The gal had a gash in her leg; she’s resting in a room right now. Nothing that couldn’t be patched up with some stitches. The other four though, they had some deep gashes around their stomachs and chests. They went through surgery and should be fine.”  
As Robbie retold his story, Sportacus’s gaze drifted slowly to the bed. He pulled his knees close to his chest, his face growing even more pale as he processed all of Robbie’s words. He bit back a sob as his body ever so subtly began to shake.  
Robbie stopped, noticing the hero’s growing despair. “Hey look, it’s okay. They’re all alive, and as far as I can tell they’re not angry. I bet if you talk it out, I don’t know do a dance and song with them, they’ll be right as rain.” He said, awkwardly patting him on the back.  
Sportacus looked up at the villain, his eyes conveying so much guilt and pain that Robbie felt his heart break. The hero’s eyes fell towards Robbie’s robe, and he pointed out the loose way the villain held his arms over his chest.  
Robbie glanced down to where Sportacus was looking, and immediately dropped his arms. “Don’t worry about this right now. It’s not that bad, really.”  
“What did I do to you, Robbie?” Sportacus asked in a near whisper.

Robbie nearly cried as he heard the hero’s words. The pain in his voice was all too apparent and while he wished he could relish in the elf’s misery, he just couldn’t. He wanted to spare Sportacus from the sight of his chest, but he also knew the hero would simply protest if he refused.  
He took a deep breath as he loosened his robe. He pulled away just enough for Sportacus to see the blood-stained bandages that surrounded his chest. He gave Sportacus a weak smile, hiding how his heart shattered as he watched the horror build in Sportacus’s eyes.  
“Robbie, I…” Sportacus said softly, tears rolling down his cheeks.  
“It’s not that bad.” Robbie fibbed. “The doctors just went a little crazy with the bandages.”  
Sportacus’s eyes sank back to the bed, his fingers feverishly curling around the thin sheets.  
“Really Sportacus, I’m fine. No feelings hurt, no harm done. Just…just stop _looking_ like that. That expression isn’t a good one on you.” Robbie said more uneasily, knowing full well that he was lying through his teeth about the damage caused.  
“I hurt you. I…I tried to kill you.” Sportacus muttered, as he continued to dig his fingers into the mattress.  
Robbie’s face paled. He wanted to deny Sportacus’s words, but he knew that, to an extent, he was right. Sure, Sportacus wasn’t himself during the time. His mind and body had been warped beyond recognition by his Dogification Ray so technically he was Sportacus only in the loosest definition. But for someone like Sportacus, that thin thread of connection was more than enough for him to sink into an even lower state.

He reached out slowly to the broken hero, gently placing a hand on his shoulder. He bit his lip as he awkwardly rubbed Sportacus’s shoulder. Emotional stuff wasn’t his forte, considering the litany of personal stuff he so poorly dealt with on a daily basis. But still, this was mostly his fault. He had to at least try.  
“It’s going to be okay, Sportafl-Sportacus.” He said softly, still rubbing circles into the hero’s shoulder.  
“Who else…” Sportacus asked, his voice near inaudible.  
Robbie stopped rubbing as his body stiffened. “What?”  
Sportacus breathed in a sharp breath between his teeth as he forced his gaze upwards, looking at Robbie with watery eyes. “You said _eight_ were in the hospital right now because…because of me. Y-You only…who’s the eighth?”  
Robbie went white as a ghost. He slowly retracted his hand as he gulped down the lump in his throat. He finally answered with a shaky voice. “S-Stephanie helped me catch you, but…but you bit her leg. Badly. She was having trouble walking when they brought her here.”  
Sportacus froze. “I…n-no…”  
“S-She’ll be okay, Sportacus! The doctors said nothing permanent was done. Pinky will be up and dancing again in no time!” Robbie said in a weakly assuring tone.  
And much to Robbie’s surprise, Sportacus finally broke. Thick tears rolled down his cheeks as he buried his face into his hands, shaking and sobbing uncontrollably.  
“Oh gods Robbie, what have I done…” He cried, his voice interrupted with hiccups and gasping sobs.  
Robbie’s eyes grew wide. He quickly, without thought, pulled the hero into a hug. “Sportacus, it’s okay! She’s okay! Everyone is going to be okay, believe me.” He said as reassuringly as he could muster.  
“I’ve h-hurt so many people, Robbie. I-It couldn’t…can’t be okay. Supposed to p-protect them, but I could’ve k-killed…oh gods…” Sportacus wept into Robbie’s hospital gown.  
Robbie continued to hug the sobbing hero, glancing at him sympathetically. He wished he knew what to say to assure the hero that, hopefully, things would be okay. For the time, however, he just continued to listen to the hero’s tears and choked ramblings.  
“It’s all my fault Robbie…” Sportacus said sadly.  
“Shut up. No, it’s not.” Robbie hissed through gritted teeth.  
Sniffling, Sportacus look up in confusion. “Robbie?”  
“I said shut up, this isn’t your fault. It’s mine.” Robbie muttered, looking away and absently curling his fingers into the hero’s back.

Sportacus instantly went into his usual hero mode, pulling away to adjust and hug the villain again. “It’s not though, Robbie. You saved everyone! You healed me, and that’s pretty heroic of you.”  
“I never said that.” Robbie mumbled under his breath, looking down guiltily.  
“What?”  
Robbie cleared his throat. “What I did wasn’t heroic. I was just trying to fix the mess I made. _I_ shot you with the Dogification Ray in the first place. I’m the whole reason you were turned into a wolf. I just tried to heal you before anyone else was hurt. That’s not heroic. That’s just…common sense.”  
Sportacus gave him a small smile. “You still risked your life for the town. Regardless of whether it was the obvious thing to do, you were still pretty brave.”  
Robbie’s heart rose as he heard the compliment. He frowned and shook his head. “Doesn’t matter. This whole mess is still my fault. I’m just glad that I was able to fix it before it got worse.”  
Sportacus gave a sad and quiet chuckle as he slid back down onto the bed. “You and me both.”  
Robbie paused, looking over at the hero resting more casually against the mattress. Shrugging, he decided to lay down next to the elf, making sure to leave a little bit of space between them both.  
Sportacus raised an eyebrow. “Robbie?”  
“I felt awkward being the only one sitting. Besides, my back hurts and these beds aren’t completely horrible.” Robbie said quickly.  
Sportacus shook his head and laughed. He sighed and rested his head back against his pillow, his laugh devolving into a half-choked sputter, another tear rolling down his cheek.  
“Gods, Robbie, what am I going to do? This…I really messed up this time.”  
“ _We_ really messed up this time.” Robbie corrected him. “And I don’t know. Probably should start with helping clean up the town. That’s easy enough, if not way too…ugh, athletic for me. As for fixing things with the townsfolk, I don’t even know how to start on that.”  
“Do you think they’ll forgive us?” Sportacus asked.  
Robbie gave the hero a darkly sad look. “Knowing them, they’ll forgive you in a heartbeat. That’s what matters. They’ll probably just run me out of town or something.”  
Sportacus gave him a look back. “Robbie, they’ll forgive you too.”  
“I don’t care if they forgive me, Sportaloon. I’m a villain, remember? This sort of thing, it’s…it’s par for the course.” Robbie retorted.  
“That’s not true though.” Sportacus answered, more seriously. “You _do_ care. And since you do, I’m telling you that they’ll forgive you. Everyone in town really does care about you and like you. If they’ll forgive me for everything I’ve done, they’ll forgive you too.”  
Robbie hmphed.  
“If it helps any, I forgive you.”  
Robbie paused, then turned towards the hero with a look of disbelief. “Really? That quickly? After everything I’ve done??”  
Sportacus smiled warmly. “Again, you didn’t mean for any of this to happen. You may say you’re a villain, but I know you’re a good person, really. So, of course I forgive you.”  
Robbie turned away again, hiding his pink cheeks. “Sure, Sportaflop. Keep telling yourself that.”  
Sportacus rolled his eyes and shook his head with a smile.  
“…Thank you.”  
“No problem, Robbie.”

\--

Sportacus sat on the edge of his bed and glanced at the clock display. 9:00 pm. It was way past his bedtime. But as much as he tried, he couldn’t get to sleep. The events of the day continued to play in his head.

Soon after he and Robbie had concluded their conversation, the children crashed into the small, hospital room, hugging the hero as they all gleefully expressed their joy seeing him back to normal. They brought a basket of sportscandy to the hospital for him to eat, much to his delight, and he ate an apple as he assured the children that he was okay and that Robbie had healed him. Thus, much to Robbie’s chagrin, he also became the target of the children’s thanks and hugs. Sportacus smiled seeing how Robbie pretended to hate the attention, though eventually had to ask the children to ease up as they accidentally squeezed his bandaged chest.

Sportacus’s smile faded, however, as soon as Stephanie entered the room. She was dressed in her usual outfit again, but her leg was heavily bandaged up to her knee, and her gait was slightly weakened with a present limp. His heart had dropped, and apologetic words had stumbled to his lips. But before anything could be said, he was interrupted as Stephanie hugged him tightly.  
“S-Stephanie? I’m so – “  
“Sportacus, I’m just glad to see you’re okay and here.”  
“But I…your leg…”  
“I’ll be fine. All I care about is you’re better and…and everything turned out okay.” She pulled away and smiled, a few tears building in her eyes. She wiped them away on her wrists. “Sorry, I’m just so glad to see you…like this. Again. N-Not bandaged, but you know…looking like you.”  
“I get what you mean. I’m glad to be back too.” Sportacus said with a smile. He hugged the girl again. “I’m so sorry about everything, Stephanie.”  
“I forgive you, Sportacus.” She had said warmly and happily.

She forgave him. Everyone in town had forgiven him. Even the animal control people had forgiven him. Everyone was so understanding and patient, willing to show him mercy after all the damage and chaos he’d caused.

So why did he still feel uneasy and guilty?

Sportacus ran his hands through his hair, sighing and closing his eyes. He couldn’t sleep. He had tried a few times already, but he either couldn’t fall asleep from all the thoughts running through his head, or he’d wake up after the brief flashes of something so distinctly out of reach but still definitively horrifying would appear in his mind. It was like something was gnawing at the back of his head, but he wasn’t sure what. He was fine. Robbie had said so. Everyone had said so. Everything was back to normal.

Except it wasn’t. Because while everyone had forgiven him, one person hadn’t yet: he couldn’t forgive _himself_. Just the idea, the potential, for him to cause as much damage as he did. To terrify and traumatize the people he had pledged to protect. To injure and nearly _kill_ them. Sportacus shook at the thought. Getting up, he paced around the airship. He had grown restless, the thoughts still bouncing around his head.  
“ _Sportacus, it’s past 8:08 and you’re not asleep. Is everything alright?_ ” his ship’s AI asked.  
Sportacus groaned and looked up at the ceiling. “I’m fine ship. I just can’t sleep.”  
“ _Do you require a glass of warm milk?_ ” the ship suggested.  
Sportacus gave a single chuckle. He hadn’t had a glass of warm milk since he was a kid. He nodded. “That would be great. Thanks, ship.”  
From the side wall, a small table emerged, and a glass of warmed milk rose from the table’s surface. Sportacus jogged over to the counter, deciding against his usual display of flips and handsprings, and took slow sips from the glass. The milk tasted good and soothing, and already Sportacus could feel himself relax just a little. Yet still, he felt a on edge.  
He soon squinted his eyes as a cloud moved across the horizon, unveiling the bright full moon it had hidden, its white beams illuminating the darkened airship.  
And as soon as Sportacus’s eyes met with the full moon, he felt a full body shudder as something awoke within him. Something dark and primal. It made him involuntarily utter a growl. He clasped a hand over his mouth in horror, dropping the glass as it shattered across the ground. He flung himself into the last darkened part of the ship, forcefully averting his eyes away from the moon.  
“No no no, this…this isn’t happening! Robbie, he…h-he healed me. I’m not…not…” Sportacus rambled fearfully, his other hand digging into his scalp.  
“ _I never said that._ ” Robbie’s words echoed in Sportacus’s mind.  
Sportacus’s face went white.

He turned his face up towards the ceiling again. “Ship! Turn us away from the moon! NOW!” he shouted, feeling the presence bubble and boil within him, superheating his body and leaving him sweating on the floor.  
The ship immediately complied, and Sportacus could feel the engines start to hum, the ship shifting into autopilot as the cockpit was steered away from the moon’s light. Sportacus panted as the light was dragged away from the room, sliding across the floor until it vanished, cloaking the airship in darkness once more.  
Sportacus released the breath he’d been holding in, feeling the crawling sensation ebb and slow. It was still there, but it had been abated for the time being. Shakily, he stood to his feet, feeling his mind whir and spring into overdrive with fearful thoughts. It wasn’t over, was it?”  
“M-Mirror.” He said as firmly as he could. A small mirror spun out from the wall.  
Sportacus slowly approached the mirror, glancing at his reflection. He stepped back in horror as he saw his eyes flash a bright yellow, before settling back to his familiar blue.

No, definitely not over.

“ _Sportacus, your heartrate has increased sharply over the last few minutes. Are you feeling alright? Do you need to return to the hospital?_ ” asked the ship calmly.  
His attention snapped up towards the ceiling.  
“N-No. Ship, whatever you do, don’t let me leave the airship tonight. Keep me locked in here until daybreak.”  
“ _But Sportacus, what if the town has an emergency? What if they need your help?_ ” the ship protested gently.  
Sportacus’s gaze shifted down, a sad look crossing his face. “I think, tonight, I’d be of more help staying up here.” He commented softly.

Slowly, he crawled back into his bed, pulling his comforter tightly over his body. He squeezed his eyes shut and tried to fight back the onslaught of broken memories and the growing, crawling sensation in his core.  
Even if it meant getting no sleep tonight, or again, he wasn’t going to let that _monster_ out. Never again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Good lord this fanfic is finally done! I'm so sorry it took this long to conclude. It's been, what, three months? I guess that's not super long by some fanfiction standards, but it's long to me. I hope you guys like this, for now, conclusion. Yes, I hope to return and write more for this universe in the future. Probably expanding on poor Sportacus and Robbie dealing with tons of guilt of course. I don't know when, since I'd like to devote my focus to Tomorrow's Wind Will Blow ,but I will write it! 
> 
> In the meantime, thank you for following this story for so long and I hope you enjoyed it! Thank you for reading!


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